Catalina Express, Harbor Breeze Cruises, and the Port of Los Angeles have recently secured a $31 million grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to test emission reduction vessel technologies. The grant will fund passenger ferry and excursion boat demonstration projects focused on reducing emissions from harbor craft.
The Port of L.A. released a statement detailing the Los Angeles Marine Emission Reduction (LA MER) project, which includes the development and launch of new vessels with advanced emission-reduction technologies. L.A. Port noted Catalina Express will design and construct a passenger ferry powered by Tier 4 engines with a potential diesel particulate filter (DPF). The statement said the ferry will operate on renewable diesel and replace three smaller vessels with Tier 2 and Tier 3 engines.
Additionally, Harbor Breeze Cruises plans to build and deploy two excursion boats capable of operating at least 30% of the time in zero-emission mode, with some trips achieving 100% zero-emission operation, the Port said.
Additionally, the project includes a detailed evaluation of the technologies’ feasibility, infrastructure needs for zero-emission harbor craft, and workforce development for advanced engine and battery-electric solutions, the Port statement said. Funding support includes $15 million from each grant partner, $650,000 from the Los Angeles Harbor Commission, and $340,000 from the Port of Long Beach.
