PSTA buys two vessels for new ferry service
PINELLAS —The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority has purchased the Bay Breeze and Clipper, the two vessels that will become the future Tampa Bay Ferry fleet, a step in the agency’s effort to launch a permanent passenger ferry service between St. Petersburg and Tampa.
The ferry boats are scheduled to begin their journeys to Florida next month. The Bay Breeze in San Francisco and the Clipper in Seattle will be loaded onto separate heavy-lift vessels and will pass through the Panama Canal en route to a Fort Lauderdale shipyard.
There, the ferry boats will undergo refurbishment, painting, and other upgrades before traveling under their own power to Tampa Bay for final testing and service preparation.
PSTA is developing the new Tampa Bay Ferry service in partnership with Hubbard’s Marina, which will operate the service. The purchase follows the PSTA Board of Directors’ unanimous approval in April to acquire and renovate two vessels using a $4.8 million federal grant awarded specifically for the development of the Tampa Bay Ferry service.