It’s been a rough summer for passenger ferries.
With skyrocketing diesel fuel prices, ferry companies had to raise rates to keep up with the increased costs.
The Maine State Ferry system enacted a 12.5 percent rate hike June 1. Casco Bay Lines imposed a 50-cent-per-ticket fuel surcharge May 1, which has been challenged with a petition to the Public Utilities Commission.
High fuel costs are one of the reasons that the Province of Nova Scotia stepped in with a $4.4 million (in Canadian dollars) subsidy of the struggling CAT ferry, which runs from Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Since the summer price hikes, the price of diesel fuel has gone down. But does anyone really think we’ll ever go back to the cheap fuel prices of the past? If we had another round of fuel hikes like we did this past summer, it could have alarming consequences for the ferries that are the lifeline to the Maine islands.
At a May hearing about the state ferry hike, Capt. Jim MacLeod, manager of the Maine State Ferry Service, said, “It will be very challenging to operate this ferry service in an affordable manner in the foreseeable future.”
One option is for ferry companies to find other sources of revenue. The Casco Bay Island Transit District is now looking at purchasing the current garage at the Maine State Pier and building a facility with an additional 500 spaces. The goal of these projects is to bring in more money, outside of passenger tickets, to help run the ferry company. Not all ferry companies will be able to do this.
With three islands either developing or considering wind power, why not explore the idea of using alternative, less expensive ways to power ferries?
The idea is already being tested.
In Virginia, Tidewater Regional Transit operated a passenger ferry fueled by compressed natural gas between Norfolk and Portsmouth. In Norway, three ferries powered by natural gas have been constructed, according to a presentation of the Ad Hoc Ferry Transit Environmental Impact Panel to a transit conference held by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
In Sydney, an Australian company called Solar Sailor has designed a hybrid ferry that transports tourists. The ferry uses flexible wings covered in solar panels that are manipulated by a computer system which determines the best position for the wings and whether they should be unfolded or retracted, according to the company web site.
The National Park Service accepted a proposal from Hornblower Cruises and Events to operate two hybrid vessels, designed by Solar Sailor, to carry visitors to Alcatraz. The new hybrid ferries will carry 600 passengers and operate at 12 to 15 knots. These vessels do have diesel engines so the ferries can run without wind or solar power.
We’re not saying these are vessels that could come to Maine right away and solve ferry companies problems with high fuel prices. If we start looking into alternatives now, we’ll have better options the next time fuel prices skyrocket.