An environmental grant issued last year from the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) has kicked off a joint project between two Northwest-based manufacturers, Photon Marine and Silverback Marine, to build four new workboats for the Port of Friday Harbor and help foster sustainable maritime businesses in the San Juan Islands.
The DOT’s Port Electrification Grant Program awarded $7 million to the Port to develop carbon reduction projects in the Salish Sea region. This grant is part of a larger $26.5 million initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 140,000 metric tons over the next decade across 11 Washington ports.
Under the plan, Portland-based electric engine manufacturer Photon Marine will supply outboards for three Silverback vessels—a 24’ VersaBarge electric pumpout boat, a 24’ Grizzly electric workboat, and a 24’ Sherpa landing craft—as well as motors for a 28’ RIB electric passenger boat developed in South Africa.
Each of the new boats will include Photon’s P300 electric outboard motors, providing up to 126 kWh of battery storage that can be recharged in about 45 minutes. The Port said the new vessels are expected to drastically reduce diesel particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions, improve water quality, and reduce noise pollution.
The VersaBarge will replace Friday Harbor’s Pumpty Dumpty, an older gas-powered pumpout vessel, with a much cleaner, more efficient electric power train. “With the older boat, they were shifting gears on the engine up to 3,000 times per day,” said Marcelino J. Alvarez, CEO and co-founder of Photon Marine. “With Photon engines, however, there are no gears needed, so we will eliminate all of that wear and tear.”
Todd Nicholson, executive director of the Port of Friday Harbor, said the Silverback Grizzly will be used as a work boat, while the Sherpa and RIB are both planned to be part of the Port’s electric boat lease/rental program. “The program is intended to provide a public service while demonstrating electric vessel capabilities,” he said. “Hopefully leading to greater electric boat adoption around the Salish Sea.”
Alvarez said the expected delivery date for the four new boats will be in the “early summer” time frame this year.
