PORT ORCHARD — Art Anderson, a Bremerton-based engineering services firm, will provide naval architecture and marine engineering services for the new hybrid-electric Olympic Class ferries for Washington State Ferries.
As a team member to Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle, which was awarded the design by shipbuilder Vigor last year, Art Anderson will provide components of the functional design to be integrated into up to five Olympic Class, 144-car ferries.
WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States with 23 vessels, 20 terminals and 23 million passengers. The hybrid-electric vessels are part of the 2040 Long-Range Plan to electrify vessels and terminals within the Washington State Ferries system.
Once shore charging is installed, the hybrid-electric Olympia Class ferries will operate on all-battery power during crossings and have the option to revert to diesel-electric propulsion.
Art Anderson has experience with designing and engineering ferry vessels beginning in 1979. The company said it has provided expert consulting services that have helped ferry system owners and operators “make sound decisions regarding the future of their vessel programs.”
The company’s naval architecture and marine engineering team supports federal, state and local vessel fleets, including the U.S. Navy, NOAA, ferry fleets across the country and other commercial clients.
“Being a part of the future of WSF, the future of green fleets through electrification and hybridization, and to work with an esteemed firm like Elliott Bay Design Group, is a collaboration we are excited and proud to be a part of,” said Ben Anderson, the company’s president and CEO.