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What’s the Deal With: The ferry moored in the Port of Bellingham?

Bart Lematta plans to build all-electric vessel

The Evergreen State ferry is currently moored in the Port of Bellingham. Owner Bart Lematta plans to make it the first zero-emission vessel of its size.
The Evergreen State ferry is currently moored in the Port of Bellingham. Owner Bart Lematta plans to make it the first zero-emission vessel of its size.
By Jemma Alexander News Intern

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.  

WTD runs on Wednesdays. Have a suggestion for a “What’s the Deal With?” inquiry? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.

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