Washington State Ferries ( WSF ) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington . It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands . The routes are designated as part of the state highway system . WSF maintains a fleet of 21 vessels that are able to carry passengers and vehicles.
84-477: The ferry system carried a total of 18.66 million riders in 2023—9.69 million passengers and 8.97 million vehicles. WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States and the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world behind BC Ferries . The state ferries carried an average of 59,900 per weekday in the third quarter of 2024. The ferry system has its origins in the " mosquito fleet ",
168-820: A collection of small steamer lines serving the Puget Sound area during the later part of the nineteenth century and early part of the 20th century. By the beginning of the 1930s, two lines remained: the Puget Sound Navigation Company (known as the Black Ball Line ) and the Kitsap County Transportation Company . A strike in 1935 caused the KCTC to close, leaving only the Black Ball Line. Toward
252-425: A diesel fuel. A higher cetane number indicates that the fuel ignites more readily when sprayed into hot compressed air. European (EN 590 standard) road diesel has a minimum cetane number of 51. Fuels with higher cetane numbers, normally "premium" diesel fuels with additional cleaning agents and some synthetic content, are available in some markets. About 86.1% of diesel fuel mass is carbon, and when burned, it offers
336-537: A few minutes due to coal dust deposition. Before diesel fuel was standardised, diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils. In the United States, these were distilled from petroleum, whereas in Europe, coal-tar creosote oil was used. Some diesel engines were fuelled with mixtures of fuels, such as petrol, kerosene, rapeseed oil, or lubricating oil which were cheaper because, at the time, they were not being taxed. The introduction of motor-vehicle diesel engines, such as
420-583: A fixed price and fixed schedule contract. Coastal Renaissance entered service in March 2008, while Coastal Inspiration was delivered the same month and entered service in June that year. The third ship, Coastal Celebration , was delivered in June of the same year and entered service in November. On August 18, 2006, BC Ferries commissioned Flensburger to build a new vessel for its Inside Passage route, with
504-469: A gel at temperatures of −19 to −15 °C (−2 to 5 °F), that cannot flow in fuel systems. Conventional diesel fuels vaporise at temperatures between 149 °C and 371 °C. Conventional diesel flash points vary between 52 and 96 °C, which makes it safer than petrol and unsuitable for spark-ignition engines. Unlike petrol, the flash point of a diesel fuel has no relation to its performance in an engine nor to its auto ignition qualities. As
588-496: A good approximation the chemical formula of diesel is C n H 2n . Diesel is a mixture of different molecules. As carbon has a molar mass of 12 g/mol and hydrogen has a molar mass of about 1 g/mol, so the fraction by weight of carbon in EN ;590 diesel fuel is roughly 12/14. The reaction of diesel combustion is given by: 2 C n H 2n + 3n O 2 ⇌ 2n CO 2 + 2n H 2 O Carbon dioxide has
672-472: A means of separating the fission product palladium from PUREX raffinate which comes from used nuclear fuel . In this system of solvent extraction, the hydrocarbons of the diesel act as the diluent while the di alkyl sulfides act as the extractant. This extraction operates by a solvation mechanism. So far, neither a pilot plant nor full scale plant has been constructed to recover palladium, rhodium or ruthenium from nuclear wastes created by
756-615: A molar mass of 44g/mol as it consists of 2 atoms of oxygen (16 g/mol) and 1 atom of carbon (12 g/mol). So 12 g of carbon yield 44 g of Carbon dioxide. Diesel has a density of 0.838 kg per liter. Putting everything together the mass of carbon dioxide that is produced by burning 1 liter of diesel fuel can be calculated as: 0.838 k g / L ⋅ 12 14 ⋅ 44 12 = 2.63 k g / L {\displaystyle 0.838kg/L\cdot {\frac {12}{14}}\cdot {\frac {44}{12}}=2.63kg/L} The figure obtained with this estimation
840-608: A net heating value of 43.1 MJ/kg as opposed to 43.2 MJ/kg for gasoline. Due to the higher density, diesel fuel offers a higher volumetric energy density: the density of EN 590 diesel fuel is defined as 0.820 to 0.845 kg/L (6.84 to 7.05 lb/US gal) at 15 °C (59 °F), about 9.0-13.9% more than EN 228 gasoline (petrol)'s 0.720–0.775 kg/L (6.01–6.47 lb/US gal) at 15 °C, which should be put into consideration when comparing volumetric fuel prices. The CO 2 emissions from diesel are 73.25 g/MJ, just slightly lower than for gasoline at 73.38 g/MJ. Diesel fuel
924-523: A part of BC Ferries standardized fleet plan, which will take the number of ship classes in the BC Ferries fleet from 17 to 5. The proposed replacement classes are Northern, Major, Salish, Shuttle and Island. Additionally, there will still be three unique ( unclassed ) vessels in the fleet after standardization is complete. BC Ferries has stated, however, that this total standardization of the fleet will not be achieved for another 40 years. As of March 2024,
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#17327976494691008-402: A recent transfer to ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD), which causes infrastructural complications. In Sweden, a diesel fuel designated as MK-1 (class 1 environmental diesel) is also being sold. This is a ULSD that also has a lower aromatics content, with a limit of 5%. This fuel is slightly more expensive to produce than regular ULSD. In Germany, the fuel tax on diesel fuel is about 28% lower than
1092-524: A reduced-tax agricultural-only product containing an identifying coloured dye known as red diesel . The official term for white diesel is DERV , standing for diesel-engine road vehicle . In Australia , diesel fuel is also known as distillate (not to be confused with "distillate" in an older sense referring to a different motor fuel), and in Indonesia (as well in Israel ), it is known as Solar ,
1176-427: A trademarked name from the country's national petroleum company Pertamina . The term gas oil (French: gazole ) is sometimes also used to refer to diesel fuel. Diesel fuel originated from experiments conducted by German scientist and inventor Rudolf Diesel for his compression-ignition engine which he invented around 1892. Originally, Diesel did not consider using any specific type of fuel. Instead, he claimed that
1260-513: Is MV Wenatchee , which will be converted from 2023 to 2024. The program was originally expected to begin in 2022 with a new boat constructed by Vigor Industrial , but cost overruns and disagreements led to delays. Vigor had been the sole shipbuilder for Washington State Ferries since 1997. Bids for the hybrid-electric ferries, which will carry 164 vehicles and 1,500 passengers, were opened to non-Washingtonian shipbuilders in 2024 with invitations sent to 15 interested companies. As of 2023, 9 of
1344-437: Is C 12 H 23 , ranging approximately from C 10 H 20 to C 15 H 28 . Most diesel fuels freeze at common winter temperatures, while the temperatures greatly vary. Petrodiesel typically freezes around temperatures of −8.1 °C (17.4 °F), whereas biodiesel freezes between temperatures of 2 to 15 °C (36 to 59 °F). The viscosity of diesel noticeably increases as the temperature decreases, changing it into
1428-639: Is a liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine , a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and then injection of fuel. Therefore, diesel fuel needs good compression ignition characteristics. The most common type of diesel fuel is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil , but alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel , biomass to liquid (BTL) or gas to liquid (GTL) diesel are increasingly being developed and adopted. To distinguish these types, petroleum-derived diesel
1512-565: Is a former provincial Crown corporation , now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia . Set up in 1960 to provide a similar service to that provided by the Black Ball Line and the Canadian Pacific Railway , which were affected by job action at
1596-446: Is available in some countries for use primarily in agricultural applications, such as fuel for tractors, recreational and utility vehicles or other noncommercial vehicles that do not use public roads . This fuel may have sulfur levels that exceed the limits for road use in some countries (e.g. US). This untaxed diesel is dyed red for identification, and using this untaxed diesel fuel for a typically taxed purpose (such as driving use),
1680-476: Is because diesel engines are more fuel efficient, and diesel fuel is less prone to catching fire. Some of these diesel-powered vehicles (such as the Leopard 1 or MAN 630 ) still ran on petrol, and some military vehicles were still made with otto engines (e. g. Ural-375 or Unimog 404 ), incapable of running on diesel fuel. Today's tractors and heavy equipment are mostly diesel-powered. Among tractors, only
1764-577: Is close to the values found in the literature. For gasoline, with a density of 0.75 kg/L and a ratio of carbon to hydrogen atoms of about 6 to 14, the estimated value of carbon emission if 1 liter of gasoline is burnt gives: 0.75 k g / L ⋅ 6 ⋅ 12 6 ⋅ 12 + 14 ⋅ 1 ⋅ 44 12 = 2.3 k g / L {\displaystyle 0.75kg/L\cdot {{\frac {6\cdot 12}{6\cdot 12+14}}\cdot 1}\cdot {\frac {44}{12}}=2.3kg/L} In
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#17327976494691848-443: Is dictated by the particular composition of and storage plans for diesel fuels. Each is added at the 5-50 ppm level. The diesel engine is a multifuel engine and can run on a huge variety of fuels. However, development of high-performance, high-speed diesel engines for cars and lorries in the 1930s meant that a proper fuel specifically designed for such engines was needed: diesel fuel. In order to ensure consistent quality, diesel fuel
1932-588: Is generally simpler to refine from petroleum than gasoline Additional refining is required to remove sulfur, which contributes to a sometimes higher cost. In many parts of the United States and throughout the United Kingdom and Australia, diesel fuel may be priced higher than petrol per gallon or litre . Reasons for higher-priced diesel include the shutdown of some refineries in the Gulf of Mexico , diversion of mass refining capacity to gasoline production, and
2016-502: Is little need for using diesel fuel in aircraft, and diesel fuel is not commercially used as aviation fuel. Instead, petrol ( Avgas ), and jet fuel (e. g. Jet A-1) are used. However, especially in the 1920s and 1930s, numerous series-production aircraft diesel engines that ran on fuel oils were made, because they had several advantages: their fuel consumption was low, they were reliable, not prone to catching fire, and required minimal maintenance. The introduction of petrol direct injection in
2100-473: Is mainly paraffins with low sulfur and aromatics content. This material is blended often into the above mentions petroleum derived diesel. Biodiesel is obtained from vegetable oil or animal fats (bio lipids ) which are mainly fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), and transesterified with methanol . It can be produced from many types of oils, the most common being rapeseed oil (rapeseed methyl ester, RME) in Europe and soybean oil (soy methyl ester, SME) in
2184-493: Is produced from various sources, the most common being petroleum . Other sources include biomass , animal fat , biogas , natural gas , and coal liquefaction . Petroleum diesel is the most common type of diesel fuel. It is produced by the fractional distillation of crude oil between 200 and 350 °C (392 and 662 °F) at atmospheric pressure , resulting in a mixture of carbon chains that typically contain between 9 and 25 carbon atoms per molecule . This fraction
2268-471: Is sometimes called petrodiesel in some academic circles. Diesel is a high-volume product of oil refineries. In many countries, diesel fuel is standardized. For example, in the European Union, the standard for diesel fuel is EN 590 . Ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) is a diesel fuel with substantially lowered sulfur contents. As of 2016, almost all of the petroleum-based diesel fuel available in
2352-421: Is standardised; the first standards were introduced after World War II. Typically, a standard defines certain properties of the fuel, such as cetane number , density , flash point , sulphur content, or biodiesel content. Diesel fuel standards include: Diesel fuel Biodiesel fuel The principal measure of diesel fuel quality is its cetane number . A cetane number is a measure of the delay of ignition of
2436-689: Is still in widespread use in certain regions. During development of rocket engines in Germany during World War II J-2 Diesel fuel was used as the fuel component in several engines including the BMW 109-718 . J-2 diesel fuel was also used as a fuel for gas turbine engines. In the United States, petroleum-derived diesel is composed of about 75% saturated hydrocarbons (primarily paraffins including n , iso , and cycloparaffins ), and 25% aromatic hydrocarbons (including naphthalenes and alkylbenzenes ). The average chemical formula for common diesel fuel
2520-414: Is subjected to hydrodesulfurization . Usually such "straight-run" diesel is insufficient in supply and quality, so other sources of diesel fuels are blended in. One major source of additional diesel fuel is obtained by cracking heavier fractions, using visbreaking and coking. This technology converts less useful fractions but the product contains olefins ( alkenes ) which require hydrogenation to give
2604-480: Is thus suited for certain (but not all) diesel engines. Until World War II, several military vehicles, especially those that required high engine performance ( armored fighting vehicles , for example the M26 Pershing or Panther tanks), used conventional otto engines and ran on petrol. Ever since World War II, several military vehicles with diesel engines have been made, capable of running on diesel fuel. This
Washington State Ferries - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-520: Is used in the UK as a synonym for unmarked road diesel fuel. In India, taxes on diesel fuel are lower than on petrol, as the majority of the transportation for grain and other essential commodities across the country runs on diesel. Taxes on biodiesel in the US vary between states. Some states (Texas, for example) have no tax on biodiesel and a reduced tax on biodiesel blends equivalent to the amount of biodiesel in
2772-707: The Black Ball Line caused the Social Credit government of W. A. C. Bennett to decide that the coastal ferry service in British Columbia needed to be government-owned, and so it set about creating BC Ferries. Minister of Highways Phil Gaglardi was tasked with overseeing the new Crown corporation and its rapid expansion. BC Ferries' first route, commissioned in 1960, was between Swartz Bay , north of Sidney on Vancouver Island , and Tsawwassen , an area in Delta , using just two vessels. These ships were
2856-817: The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure , which contracts operation to various private sector companies. At its inception, BC Ferries was a division of the British Columbia Toll Highways and Bridges Authority, a provincial Crown corporation. Through successive reorganizations, it evolved into the British Columbia Ferry Authority and then the British Columbia Ferry Corporation, both of which were also provincial Crown corporations. In 2003,
2940-531: The Mercedes-Benz OM 138 , in the 1930s meant that higher-quality fuels with proper ignition characteristics were needed. At first no improvements were made to motor-vehicle diesel fuel quality. After World War II, the first modern high-quality diesel fuels were standardised. These standards were, for instance, the DIN 51601, VTL 9140–001, and NATO F 54 standards. In 1993, the DIN 51601 was rendered obsolete by
3024-707: The Salish Sea in Western Washington . The busiest route is the Seattle–Bainbridge Island ferry , which carried 4.8 million total riders in 2023; the Mukilteo–Clinton ferry carried 2.1 million total vehicles in 2023, the most of any route. In 2022, Washington State Ferries had an operating budget of $ 282.5 million and spent approximately $ 16.47 per passenger trip. The system has over 1,500 employees, but had had crew shortages in
3108-469: The Stirling engine , or boilers for steam engines . Diesel is often used in heavy trucks . However, diesel exhaust , especially from older engines, can cause health damage. Diesel fuel has many colloquial names; most commonly, it is simply referred to as diesel . In the United Kingdom, diesel fuel for road use is commonly called diesel or sometimes white diesel if required to differentiate it from
3192-433: The 1920s through 1940s, running either spark-ignition and low-compression engines, akryod engines, or diesel engines. Thus many farm tractors of the era could burn gasoline, alcohol , kerosene , and any light grade of fuel oil such as heating oil , or tractor vaporising oil , according to whichever was most affordable in a region at any given time. On US farms during this era, the name "distillate" often referred to any of
3276-541: The 1920s through 1950s, are now almost exclusively diesel-powered. Due to its ignition characteristics, diesel fuel is thus widely used in these vehicles. Since diesel fuel is not well-suited for otto engines, passenger cars, which often use otto or otto-derived engines, typically run on petrol instead of diesel fuel. However, especially in Europe and India, many passenger cars have, due to better engine efficiency, diesel engines, and thus run on regular diesel fuel. Diesel displaced coal and fuel oil for steam-powered vehicles in
3360-423: The 1930s outweighed these advantages, and aircraft diesel engines quickly fell out of use. With improvements in power-to-mass ratios of diesel engines, several on-road diesel engines have been converted to and certified for aircraft use since the early 21st century. These engines typically run on Jet A-1 aircraft fuel (but can also run on diesel fuel). Jet A-1 has ignition characteristics similar to diesel fuel, and
3444-568: The 1990s, the NDP government commissioned a series of three fast ferries to improve ferry service between the Mainland and Vancouver Island. The ships proved problematic when they suffered many technical issues and cost double what was expected. The fast ferries were eventually sold off for $ 19.4 million in 2003. A controversy began in July 2004 when BC Ferries, under a new American CEO, announced that
Washington State Ferries - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-549: The 2000s, WSF has sold its passenger-only ferries to other operators. Below is a list of ferries that WSF has retired since 1951. Unless otherwise noted, all vessels introduced in 1951 were acquired from the Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSN), also known as the Black Ball Line, when the state took over the company's routes and ferryboats in Puget Sound. BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. , operating as BC Ferries ( BCF ),
3612-631: The 21 active ferries maintained by Washington State Ferries are considered to be in good condition. Cancellation of sailings due to mechanical problems and urgent maintenance increased in the 2010s and 2020s. The ferry fleet consists of the following vessels: capacity capacity 1,090 International Since the beginning of state-run ferry service in 1951, WSF has retired many vessels as they have become older, too expensive to operate or maintain, or have become too small to provide adequate ferry service. WSF owned passenger-only vessels between 1985 and 2009, but after discontinuing its two passenger-only routes in
3696-534: The Diesel engine being kerosene ( paraffin ). Diesel experimented with types of lamp oil from various sources, as well as types of petrol and ligroin , which all worked well as Diesel engine fuels. Later, Diesel tested coal tar creosote , paraffin oil, crude oil, gasoline and fuel oil , which eventually worked as well. In Scotland and France, shale oil was used as fuel for the first 1898 production Diesel engines because other fuels were too expensive. In 1900,
3780-594: The French Otto society built a Diesel engine for the use with crude oil, which was exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition and the 1911 World's Fair in Paris. The engine actually ran on peanut oil instead of crude oil, and no modifications were necessary for peanut oil operation. During his first Diesel engine tests, Diesel also used illuminating gas as fuel, and managed to build functional designs, both with and without pilot injection. According to Diesel, neither
3864-609: The Government of British Columbia announced that BC Ferries, which had been in debt, would be reorganized into a private corporation, implemented through the passage of the Coastal Ferry Act (Bill 18–2003). The single voting share of BC Ferries Corporation is held by the provincial government's BC Ferry Authority , which operates under the rules of the Act. In the summer of 1958, a strike by employees of CP Steamships and
3948-556: The Southern Gulf Islands ( Galiano Island (via Sturdies Bay), Mayne Island (Via Village Bay), Pender Island (via Otter Bay), and Saturna Island (via Lyall Harbour) Route 6 – South Stuart Channel: Crofton to Saltspring Island (via Vesuvius ) Route 7 – Jervis Inlet ( Highway 101 ): Earls Cove to Saltery Bay Route 8 – Queen Charlotte Channel : Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island (via Snug Cove ) Route 9 – Active Pass Shuttle: Tsawwassen to
4032-2537: The Southern Gulf Islands ( Galiano Island (via Sturdies Bay), Mayne Island (via Village Bay), Pender Island (via Otter Bay), Saturna Island (via Lyall Harbour), and Saltspring Island (via Long Harbour) Route 10 – Inside Passage : Port Hardy (via Bear Cove) to Prince Rupert (on Kaien Island ) Route 11 – Hecate Strait ( Highway 16 ): Prince Rupert (on Kaien Island ) to Haida Gwaii (via Skidegate , on Graham Island ) Route 12 – Saanich Inlet : Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay Route 13 – Thornbrough Channel: Langdale to Gambier Island (via New Brighton) and Keats Island (via Keats Landing and Eastbourne). (Foot passengers only, no vehicles). (Operated by Kona Winds Yacht Charters Ltd.) Route 17 – Georgia Strait North: Powell River (via Westview ) to Comox (via Little River ) Route 18 – Malaspina Strait : Powell River (via Westview ) to Texada Island (via Blubber Bay ) Route 19 – Northumberland Channel: Nanaimo Harbour to Gabriola Island (via Descanso Bay) Route 20 – North Stuart Channel: Chemainus to Thetis Island (via Preedy Harbour) and Penelakut Island (via Telegraph Harbour) Route 21 – Baynes Sound : Buckley Bay to Denman Island (via Denman West) Route 22 – Lambert Channel: Denman Island East (via Gravelly Bay ) to Hornby Island (via Shingle Spit ) Route 23 – Discovery Passage : Campbell River to Quadra Island (via Quathiaski Cove ) Route 24 – Sutil Channel : Quadra Island (via Heriot Bay ) to Cortes Island (via Whaletown ) Route 25 – Broughton Strait: Port McNeill to Alert Bay (on Cormorant Island ) and Sointula (on Malcolm Island ) Route 26 – Skidegate Inlet: Skidegate (on Graham Island ) to Alliford Bay (on Moresby Island ) Route 28 – Central Coast Connector: Port Hardy (via Bear Cove) to Bella Coola (seasonal direct summer service)/Route 28A: Port Hardy to Bella Coola (with stops at Bella Bella (via McLoughlin Bay, on Campbell Island ), Klemtu , Ocean Falls , and Shearwater ) Route 30 – Mid-Island Express ( Highway 19 ): Nanaimo (via Duke Point ) to Tsawwassen These are contracted routes that carry foot passengers only, but no vehicles, and are sponsored by BC Ferries. Numbers in blue circles are ferry route numbers. Provincial highway trailblazers are added where appropriate. BC Ferries has
4116-483: The UK, diesel is normally stored in a black container to differentiate it from unleaded or leaded petrol, which are stored in green and red containers, respectively. Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) is added to diesel as a "cold flow improver". 50-500 ppm of EVA inhibits crystallization of waxes, which can block fuel filters. Antifoaming agents ( silicones ), antioxidants ( hindered phenols ), and "metal deactivating agents" (salicylaldimines) are other additives. Their use
4200-452: The US. Methanol can also be replaced with ethanol for the transesterification process, which results in the production of ethyl esters. The transesterification processes use catalysts, such as sodium or potassium hydroxide, to convert vegetable oil and methanol into biodiesel and the undesirable byproducts glycerine and water, which will need to be removed from the fuel along with methanol traces. Biodiesel can be used pure (B100) in engines where
4284-453: The United Kingdom, mainland Europe, and North America is of a ULSD type. Before diesel fuel had been standardized, the majority of diesel engines typically ran on cheap fuel oils . These fuel oils are still used in watercraft diesel engines. Despite being specifically designed for diesel engines, diesel fuel can also be used as fuel for several non-diesel engines, for example the Akroyd engine ,
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#17327976494694368-448: The WSF fleet that serve Puget Sound. The largest vessels in this fleet carry up to 2500 passengers and 202 vehicles. They are painted in a distinctive white and green trim paint scheme, and feature double-ended open vehicle decks and bridges at each end so that they do not need to turn around. Most of the ferries feature an outdoor deck with two "pickleforks" where passengers board and disembark
4452-595: The addition of three new Intermediate-class ferries to phase out Queen of Burnaby and Queen of Nanaimo . These three vessels were to be named the Salish class ; Salish Orca , Salish Eagle and Salish Raven . In 2022, Salish Heron , the fourth Salish-class vessel, entered service. All four ferries were designed and built by Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A. in Gdansk, Poland, and are dual-fuel, capable of operating on liquefied natural gas and marine diesel. These vessels are
4536-413: The aforementioned light fuel oils. Spark ignition engines did not start as well on distillate, so typically a small auxiliary gasoline tank was used for cold starting, and the fuel valves were adjusted several minutes later, after warm-up, to transition to distillate. Engine accessories such as vaporizers and radiator shrouds were also used, both with the aim of capturing heat, because when such an engine
4620-680: The blend, so that B20 fuel is taxed 20% less than pure petrodiesel. Other states, such as North Carolina, tax biodiesel (in any blended configuration) the same as petrodiesel, although they have introduced new incentives to producers and users of all biofuels. Diesel fuel is mostly used in high-speed diesel engines, especially motor-vehicle (e.g. car, lorry) diesel engines, but not all diesel engines run on diesel fuel. For example, large two-stroke watercraft engines typically use heavy fuel oils instead of diesel fuel, and certain types of diesel engines, such as MAN M-System engines, are designed to run on petrol with knock resistances of up to 86 RON. On
4704-408: The company had disqualified all Canadian bids to build three new Coastal-class ships, and only the proposals from European shipyards were being considered. The contract was estimated at $ 542 million for the three ships, each designed to carry 370 vehicles and 1600 passengers. The argument for domestic construction of the ferries was that it would employ numerous British Columbia workers, revitalize
4788-568: The contract having many of the same types of terms as that for the Coastal-class vessels. The new northern service vessel, Northern Expedition , was delivered in March 2008, and entered service in May of the same year. On August 26, 2012, BC Ferries announced that it would be cutting 98 round trips on its major routes starting in the fall and winter of 2012 as part of a four-year plan to save $ 1 million on these routes. Service cuts have included
4872-400: The early 2020s that have led to sailing cancellations and deferred maintenance. Onboard food service, primarily through the ship galley and vending machines , is operated by contractor Sodexo Live . The agency allows weddings and other celebrations to take place on board ferries, as well as the scattering of cremated remains with advance reservations. As of 2020, there are 21 ferries in
4956-621: The elimination of supplementary sailings on the Swartz Bay–Tsawwassen route, 18 round trips on the Horseshoe Bay–Departure Bay route, and 48 round trips, the largest number of cuts, on the Duke Point–Tsawwassen route, with plans to look for savings on the smaller unprofitable routes in the future. Free ferry trips for seniors were suspended from April 2014 to April 2018. In the fall of 2014, BC Ferries announced
5040-493: The end of the 1940s, the Black Ball Line wanted to increase its fares, to compensate for increased wage demands from the ferry workers' unions , but the state refused to allow this, and so the Black Ball Line shut down. In 1951, the state bought nearly all of Black Ball's ferry assets for $ 5 million (Black Ball retained five vessels of its fleet). The state government intended to run ferry service only until cross-sound bridges could be built, but these were never approved and left
5124-773: The end of the year. A route between Port Townsend and Keystone on Whidbey Island was launched in June 1974 to replace a privately-run service that had lost its franchise. During the COVID-19 pandemic , WSF reduced service on most routes and suspended trips to Sidney on the Anacortes–San Juan Islands route . The loss of workers who retired, transferred, or were fired during the pandemic caused delays and trip cancellations as service and ridership began to recover in 2021 and 2022, while vessel replacement also ran behind schedule. By early 2023, full levels of service were restored on four routes but remained limited across much of
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#17327976494695208-593: The ferries as the only means of crossing for vehicles. The new system was operated by the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority , which ordered ten new vessels that could carry 60 to 100 vehicles. A set of revenue bonds were also issued to purchase the 16 vessels and 20 terminals of the Puget Sound Navigational Company for a total of $ 4.94 million. The ten initial routes were reduced to eight by
5292-493: The first five years of its operations, to keep up with the demand. Another method of satisfying increasing demand for service was BC Ferries' unique "stretch and lift" program, involving seven vessels being cut in half and extended, and five of those vessels later cut in half again and elevated, to increase their passenger and vehicle-carrying capacities. The vast majority of the vessels in the fleet were built in B.C. waters, with only two foreign purchases and one domestic purchase. In
5376-764: The fleet has so far been reduced to 11 classes of vessels, with 8 unique ( unclassed ) vessels remaining as well. Route numbers are used internally by BC Ferries. All routes except Route 13 and the Unregulated Routes carry vehicles. Figures displayed are annual vehicle equivalent and annual passengers . Route 1 – Georgia Strait South ( Highway 17 ): Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen Route 2 – Georgia Strait Central ( Highway 1 ): Nanaimo (via Departure Bay ) to Horseshoe Bay Route 3 – Howe Sound : Langdale to Horseshoe Bay Route 4 – Satellite Channel: Swartz Bay to Saltspring Island (via Fulford Harbour ) Route 5 – Swanson Channel: Swartz Bay to
5460-463: The largest fleet of vehicle ferry vessels in the world. There are at least 45 vessels, ranging from small passenger-only water taxis, up to the 358-car Spirit-class ferries. All of the vessels in use by BC Ferries are roll-on/roll-off car ferries. Most of the major vessels are based on similar designs, which are aggregated into classes of ferries: Diesel fuel Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil , heavy oil (historically) or simply diesel ,
5544-425: The latter half of the 20th century, and is now used almost exclusively for the combustion engines of self-powered rail vehicles (locomotives and railcars). In general, diesel engines are not well-suited for planes and helicopters. This is because of the diesel engine's comparatively low power-to-mass ratio , meaning that diesel engines are typically rather heavy, which is a disadvantage in aircraft. Therefore, there
5628-489: The manufacturer approves such use, but it is more often used as a mix with diesel, BXX where XX is the biodiesel content in percent. FAME used as fuel is specified in DIN EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 standards. In the US, diesel is recommended to be stored in a yellow container to differentiate it from kerosene , which is typically kept in blue containers, and gasoline (petrol), which is typically kept in red containers. In
5712-501: The mid-1980s, BC Ferries took over the operations of the saltwater branch of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Highways, which ran ferry services to very small coastal communities. This action dramatically increased the size of BC Ferries' fleet and its geographical service area. The distinctive "dogwood on green" flag that BC Ferries used between 1960 and 2003 gave the service its popular nickname "the Dogwood Fleet". During
5796-443: The new EN 590 standard, which has been used in the European Union ever since. In sea-going watercraft, where diesel propulsion had gained prevalence by the late 1970s due to increasing fuel costs caused by the 1970s energy crisis , cheap heavy fuel oils are still used instead of conventional motor-vehicle diesel fuel. These heavy fuel oils (often called Bunker C ) can be used in diesel-powered and steam-powered vessels. Diesel fuel
5880-546: The now-retired MV Tsawwassen and the MV Sidney . The next few years saw a dramatic growth of the B.C. ferry system as it took over operations of the Black Ball Line and other major private companies providing vehicle ferry service between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland . As the ferry system expanded and started to service other small coastal communities, BC Ferries had to build more vessels, many of them in
5964-406: The operating principle of his rational heat motor would work with any kind of fuel in any state of matter. The first diesel engine prototype and the first functional Diesel engine were only designed for liquid fuels. At first, Diesel tested crude oil from Pechelbronn , but soon replaced it with petrol and kerosene , because crude oil proved to be too viscous, with the main testing fuel for
6048-598: The other hand, gas turbine and some other types of internal combustion engines, and external combustion engines , can also be designed to take diesel fuel. The viscosity requirement of diesel fuel is usually specified at 40 °C. A disadvantage of diesel fuel in cold climates is that its viscosity increases as the temperature decreases, changing it into a gel (see Compression Ignition – Gelling ) that cannot flow in fuel systems. Special low-temperature diesel contains additives to keep it liquid at lower temperatures. Trucks and buses , which were often otto-powered in
6132-414: The past, diesel fuel contained higher quantities of sulfur . European emission standards and preferential taxation have forced oil refineries to dramatically reduce the level of sulfur in diesel fuels. In the European Union, the sulfur content has dramatically reduced during the last 20 years. Automotive diesel fuel is covered in the European Union by standard EN 590 . In the 1990s specifications allowed
6216-421: The petrol fuel tax. Diesel fuel is similar to heating oil , which is used in central heating . In Europe, the United States, and Canada, taxes on diesel fuel are higher than on heating oil due to the fuel tax , and in those areas, heating oil is marked with fuel dyes and trace chemicals to prevent and detect tax fraud . "Untaxed" diesel (sometimes called "off-road diesel" or "red diesel" due to its red dye)
6300-493: The sagging B.C. shipbuilding industry, and entitle the provincial government to a large portion of the cost in the form of taxes. BC Ferries CEO David Hahn claimed that building the ferries in Germany would "save almost $ 80 million and could lead to lower fares." On September 17, 2004, BC Ferries awarded the vessel construction contract to Germany's Flensburger shipyard . The contract protected BC Ferries from any delays through
6384-503: The saturated hydrocarbons as desired. Another refinery stream that contributes to diesel fuel is hydrocracking . Finally, kerosene is added to modify its viscosity. Synthetic diesel can be produced from many carbonaceous precursors but natural gas is most important. Raw materials are converted to synthesis gas which by the Fischer–Tropsch process is converted to a synthetic diesel. Synthetic diesel produced in this way generally
6468-461: The smaller classes may also offer gasoline-fuelled engines. The dieselization of tractors and heavy equipment began in Germany before World War II but was unusual in the United States until after that war. During the 1950s and 1960s, it progressed in the US as well. Diesel fuel is commonly used in oil and gas extracting equipment, although some locales use electric or natural gas powered equipment. Tractors and heavy equipment were often multifuel in
6552-670: The system; the Sidney route is not expected to re-enter service until 2030. Staffing issues, particularly among ship captains and mates, continue to prevent the full restoration of service on the Seattle–Bremerton and Fauntleroy–Vashon–Southworth routes. As mitigation for the delay in restoring the Seattle–Bremerton run's second vessel, WSF funded additional trips on the parallel Kitsap Fast Ferries that serves both terminals. WSF has 10 routes that serve 20 terminals in Puget Sound and
6636-672: The time, BC Ferries has become the largest passenger ferry line in North America , operating a fleet of 41 vessels with a total passenger and crew capacity of over 27,000, serving 47 locations on the B.C. coast. The federal and provincial governments subsidize BC Ferries to provide agreed service levels on essential links between the BC mainland, coastal islands, and parts of the mainland without road access. The inland ferries operating on British Columbia's rivers and lakes are not run by BC Ferries. The responsibility for their provision rests with
6720-509: The use of nuclear fuel . Diesel fuel is often used as the main ingredient in oil-base mud drilling fluid. The advantage of using diesel is its low cost and its ability to drill a wide variety of difficult strata, including shale, salt and gypsum formations. Diesel-oil mud is typically mixed with up to 40% brine water. Due to health, safety and environmental concerns, Diesel-oil mud is often replaced with vegetable, mineral, or synthetic food-grade oil-base drilling fluids, although diesel-oil mud
6804-616: The user can be fined (e.g. US$ 10,000 in the US). In the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands, it is known as red diesel (or gas oil), and is also used in agricultural vehicles, home heating tanks, refrigeration units on vans/trucks which contain perishable items such as food and medicine and for marine craft. Diesel fuel, or marked gas oil is dyed green in the Republic of Ireland and Norway. The term "diesel-engined road vehicle" (DERV)
6888-536: The vessel. The fleet uses diesel fuel to power its engines and is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government at 19 million gallons used annually prior to 2020; WSF plans to electrify its fleet over 20 years. By 2040, it intends to build 16 new hybrid-electric vessels and convert six others to have hybrid propulsion. This will reduce carbon emissions by up 180,000 tons annually and save $ 19 million per year in diesel fuel costs. The first vessel to undergo conversion to use hybrid-electric propulsion
6972-489: Was a coal-dust–producing industry existent, nor was fine, high-quality coal-dust commercially available in the late 1890s. This is the reason why the Diesel engine was never designed or planned as a coal-dust engine. Only in December 1899, did Diesel test a coal-dust prototype, which used external mixture formation and liquid fuel pilot injection. This engine proved to be functional, but suffered from piston ring failure after
7056-494: Was run on distillate, it ran better when both it and the air it inhaled were warmer rather than at ambient temperature. Dieselization with dedicated diesel engines (high-compression with mechanical fuel injection and compression ignition) replaced such systems and made more efficient use of the diesel fuel being burned. Poor quality diesel fuel has been used as an extraction agent for liquid–liquid extraction of palladium from nitric acid mixtures. Such use has been proposed as
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