All-electric zero-emission ferry duo to debut on San Diego-Coronado route by 2026

San Diego-headquartered Flagship Cruises & Events has clinched $15.2 million funding from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop a pair of fully electric zero-emission ferries to serve the San Diego to Coronado route.

As disclosed, the CARB Advanced Technology Demonstration and Pilot Project grant is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that utilizes cap-and-trade dollars to support environmental, economic, and public health benefits. The project will reportedly be implemented in collaboration with the San Diego Air Pollution Control District (SDAPCD). The total project cost is expected to exceed $21 million.

Construction of the new ships is planned to commence sometime later this year. The first one is anticipated to be launched by fall 2026. As per Brad Engel, President of Flagship Cruises & Events, the units are “the first all-electric newbuild ferries in California.”

According to Flagship, the electric ferry duo will be outfitted with ‘enhanced’ battery technology, thanks to which the units are ‘unlikely’ to release any greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions whatsoever. The company noted that the newbuilds will also have the potential to completely eliminate particulate matter typically associated with traditional combustion engines.

Commenting on the development, Paula Forbis, Air Pollution Control Officer for the SDAPCD, added: “The conversion of these ferries to electric will significantly help reduce diesel particulate emissions for the Portside communities. The electrification of transportation has a big impact on improving air quality, and SDAPCD is grateful to Flagship Cruises & Events for bringing San Diego County closer to Clean Air for All.”

The ferries are also said to be in line with the Port of San Diego’s broader, “Green Port” initiatives.

“This is exactly the kind of collaborative effort we envisioned when we approved the Maritime Clean Air Strategy,” Chair Danielle Moore, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, elaborated.

The Port of San Diego’s Maritime Clean Air Strategy (MCAS) was adopted in October 2021, encompassing 34 actions within the port’s “Health Equity for All” vision. One of the goals of the endeavor is transitioning all cargo handling equipment to zero emissions by 2030.

According to the port, MCAS—along with other initiatives, like the 2013 Climate Action Plan (CAP) and the TAMT Redevelopment Plan—serves as the foundation of its Clean Cargo project aimed at further electrifying operations at the port’s two maritime cargo terminals and supporting zero-emissions freight movement.

At the end of October 2024, the Clean Cargo project received $59 million from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant came from the EPA’s Clean Ports Program, which has designs on cutting air pollution and promoting the transition to cleaner maritime operations at ports across the United States.

The port said it would ‘greatly reduce carbon emissions’ with the Clean Cargo project by implementing several ‘vital’ components: completing the improvements to the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal’s (TAMT) legacy 12-kilovolt electrical distribution system (12-kV loop), installing two shore power systems for commercial harbor craft at TAMT, introducing a zero emissions truck stop, purchasing and deploying battery-electric zero-emission equipment, vehicles and charging infrastructure.

Additionally, in mid-January 2025, the San Diego Port secured a $5 million grant from SDAPCD via the latter’s Clean Air for All vision. As informed, the money is set to go toward electrical upgrades at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.

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