Construction completed on new catamaran ferry for California's Water Emergency Transportation Authority

Shipbuilder Mavrik Marine of La Conner, Washington, has completed construction of a new aluminium catamaran ferry ordered by the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) of San Francisco, California.

Zalophus belongs to the same series as Dorado, Delphinus and Karl, which were all designed by One2Three Naval Architects of New South Wales, Australia.

The acquisition of the four vessels is part of a continuing effort by WETA to increase its ferry capacity as a way to alleviate traffic on the congested highway system in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Zalophus has a length of 130 feet (39.6 metres), a beam of 35 feet (10.6 metres), a crew complement of five, and capacity for 320 passengers plus bicycles. A service speed of 32 knots is possible thanks to its propulsion arrangement that consists of two Hamilton waterjets driven by MTU 2,575hp (1,920kW) US EPA Tier IV-compliant diesel engines.

The ferry will undergo dock and sea trials in La Conner before heading to San Francisco to begin operational sailings.