EPA Grant Names Washington Island Ferry Line
EPA Grant Names Washington Island Ferry Line
Notification of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant in the amount of $145,000 for Washington Island Ferry Line, Inc. to re-power the ferry Robert Noble has been received.
The intent of the EPA grant is to improve air quality, and the new Tier II CAT diesels are expected to drop fuel consumption by as much as 15% over the same Robert Noble seasonal hours of operation. Besides being more efficient, the new engines are also designed to burn fuel more cleanly through both improved internal design and through electronic technology that allows the engine only as much fuel as is necessary to do the required work. Emissions from this pair of engines is expected to reduce NOx, particulate matter, CO and CO2 by hundreds of tons, compared with the current engines over the next 20 years of operation, given similar hours and type of duty.
Records kept for each ferry’s fuel consumption indicate that the new engines will provide both environmental and operating benefits over the 1979 style engines where current propulsion systems are mechanically controlled with fuel pumps set to deliver constant amounts of fuel for desired rpms.
The auto and passenger ferry Robert Noble, built by Peterson Builders, Inc., of Sturgeon Bay in 1979, will receive the new engines at Bay Shipbuilding later this fall, according to Rich Ellefson, company vice president and operations manager. Ellefson noted that while the EPA grant sum is significant, it represents about 23% of the total project cost. The Ferry Line will be responsible for the balance of costs.
In anticipation of the officially announced grant, both engines and gears were ordered in late spring, due to required manufacturing lead time and shipyard pre-planning. Sea Craft Design of Sturgeon Bay completed modification drawings and submitted them for Coast Guard approvals, and personnel from Bay Shipbuilding visited Washington Island several times starting early last winter to plan the scope of work for the modifications. With various key components due to arrive soon, and with work project pre-planning, it is hoped that the entire project can be accomplished inside of six weeks.
The ferry Robert Noble will sail to Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay following the Columbus Day weekend where it will then be dry-docked for a five-year Coast Guard hull inspection. At that same time, new propellers will be installed and underwater cooling loops will be modified. After exterior hull work is completed, the ferry will remain moored at Bay Ship for removal of the old engines and gears. A pair of CAT C18 diesels coupled with Twin Disc MGX-516 marine transmissions will be installed after modifications to mounting rails have been accomplished. Electronic Pilot House and Aft Station engine/gear controls manufactured by Twin Disc will replace an outdated cable control system, connecting the wheelhouse with the engine room.
Installation of an auxiliary AC power unit, driven hydraulically by one of the main engines, will provide ship’s power, leaving the existing generator as back-up, which will further reduce emissions and fuel consumption.
As with any multi-faceted project, related, additional work will also be done. Some of these items are necessary to support the newer-style engines and transmissions, while other features are considered desirable upgrades. Several modifications respond directly to changing federal regulation for small passenger vessels.
Examples of these additional work items include: redundant starting battery banks; engine-driven hydraulic pumps for steering, fire fighting and bilge systems; bolt-in-place “soft patches” for easy access to key engine room components through the main vehicle deck; and modifications to the after engine room bulkhead.
Many of the equipment pieces specified for the Robert Noble were installed earlier and have been proven on other Ferry Line vessels, such as the engines, gears and controls proven successful for the ferry Washington since 2009.
Washington Island Ferry Line’s grant application was submitted in late 2010, bundled with applications from other regional mid-western transportation providers through the Leonardo Academy of Madison, WI. The Leonardo Academy is the grant administrator for each of the accepted projects within the overall grant.
The Washington Island Ferry Line began operations in 1940, when Arni and Carl Richter purchased two wooden ferries that ran seasonally to the Door Peninsula under Captain William Jepson. Ferries now make between 3800 and 4000 round trips per year, operating in winter as well as warm weather months.
by Dick Purinton
