2.7-mile route connecting Galveston Island with the Bolivar Peninsula
The Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) recently christened Esperanza Hope Andrade, its new 293-foot, double-ended hybrid ferry.
The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) began working with the transportation agency to design and provide construction oversight services for the vessel in 2017, which was built by Gulf Island Fabricators in Houma, La.
The 495-passenger, 70-car diesel-electric ferry is operated on the 2.7-mile route connecting Galveston Island with the Bolivar Peninsula.
The hybrid functionality of the vessel “will improve overall operational costs while providing a higher level of redundancy and safety compared to the other vessels,” said the transportation agency. Esperanza Hope Andrade’s namesake served as the former chair of the TXDOT and as Texas Secretary of State.
The ferry was designed with a diesel-electric power generation system and a Power Management System (PMS) programmed to use the onboard battery storage to allow for peak shaving to reduce fuel consumption and maximize efficiency and reliability.
During transit, only two generators will be online, with the batteries supplying the remainder of the power demands to the vessel. While loading and unloading, the generators stay online and will use excess power to recharge their batteries.
“TSGI is proud to have worked with the TXDOT to design and oversee the construction of their newest Galveston-Bolivar Ferry vessel,” said Houston-headquartered TSGI.
“This vehicle/passenger ferry is the first of its kind in the U.S. to operate under Subchapter H of Title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations with a hybrid diesel-electric system that incorporates the latest energy storage technologies.”