![]() Each will have a capacity of 144 cars and 1,500 passengers. The first of the new vessels is scheduled to enter service in 2024. Now Vigor Shipyards, which builds vessels in the Pacific Northwest, has been awarded a contract to build new battery-powered Olympic class ferries for the state of Washington. ![]() Each of them will have two of its four diesel generators and locomotive engines replaced with battery systems supplied by Siemens. ![]() Those three vessels alone consume 5 million gallons of fuel a year. The ferry operator has begun converting three of its Jumbo Mark II ferries to electricity. Even if you’re not an environmentalist, this is a good idea for the taxpayer because we expect it to pay for itself relatively quickly, based on the price of fuel. Ian Sterling, a public information officer for Washington State Ferries, told Greentech Media at the end of last year, “The government-owned ferry operator’s annual fuel consumption is on par with that of a ‘midsize airline,’ making it the state’s biggest diesel polluter.” He added the switch to batteries is “not just because the governor said it. The deal is expected to be finalized in early April, subject to regulatory approvals.Under the leadership of Washington Governor Jay Inslee - one of the few political leaders in the US who takes climate change seriously - the management of the state ferry system has made a serious commitment to reducing pollution from its ferries by converting some existing vessels to electric power and calling for any new ferries to be primarily battery electric vessels. Vigor and Kvichak agreed to terms of the merger yesterday. It’s not about getting bigger, it’s about getting better.” “The cross-pollination will definitely improve our genetics. “We’re so excited to be putting all these pieces together,” he said. ![]() It’s all very complimentary and very exciting.”įor Vigor, the Kvichak merger is another step in the creation of a regional shipyard/boatbuilding conglomerate that also includes Oregon Iron Works in Portland, the former Todd Pacific Shipyard in Seattle and Alaska Ship & Drydock in Ketchikan, Alaska.Įventually, according to Frank Foti, president of Vigor Industrial, all the various divisions of the growing company will be branded as Vigor entities, “but there’s a lot of pride in these names that needs to be honored.”įoti also said that he and other Vigor executives feel like they’ve been “shot out of a cannon” about what the combined companies can do. In the same way, they’ll have access to our metal processing facility. We’ll have access to all of the other Vigor facilities, including the amazing machine shop capabilities at Oregon Iron Works. We’ll be part of the Vigor management team and will be involved in Vigor products. ![]() “Kvichak will go on the way it has been, and everybody here will go on with what they’ve been doing. “In the short run, there won’t be any huge changes,” said Keith Whittemore, Kvichak president. All Kvichak employees will also be retained. Kvichak’s current owners, Jim Meckley, Brian Thomas and Keith Whittemore, will become Vigor shareholders and become part of Vigor’s management team. Under terms of the merger, Kvichak will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Portland, Ore.-based Vigor. Kvichak Marine Industries, Seattle, one of the most successful aluminum boatbuilders in the U.S., today announced that it is merging with Vigor Industrial. ![]()
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