A Washington State ferry found a new home in our port. But why is it in Bellingham, and who brought it here?
Vessel owner Bart Lematta is taking on a monumental project of sustainability on the ocean. He hopes to turn the fully functioning Evergreen State ferry into the country’s first emission-free vessel of its size.
Lematta imagines the 310-foot boat, which can hold nearly 1,000 people, as a host of activities, from concerts and farmers markets to technology expos, according to the project’s website.
After 60 years as a car ferry, the Evergreen retired in June 2014. Lematta — who made his fortune selling Beanie Babies in his Oregon toy shop, The Wooden Duck, and from buying Tesla stock at the right time — bought the boat for $290,000 In November 2020. He then created The Evergreen Sustainability Initiative to support his endeavors.
Shipping containers full of Lithium-ion batteries will be used to power the four existing motors, built in 1931. The motors, which were first used in a U.S. Navy destroyer in World War II, have easy speed and direction control, the website says.
Aspects of the project have been slow-going, Lematta said, like getting the batteries sent to him. Many pieces still need to come together before his plans are realized.
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