The idea to operate a ferry between San Diego and Ensenada has been floating around for a while. Now, those ideas have solidified into a real possibility.
“This project is very feasible,” Josué Vázquez, CEO of Azteca Ferries, the company managing the project, told stakeholders at a meeting hosted by the nonprofit Smart Border Coalition last week.
The 2-hour, 5-minute ocean trip would take place aboard a Victoria Clipper IV vessel that had previously operated between Seattle and Victoria, Canada. The ship would carry 330 engers, he said. A car trip between Ensenada and San Diego is about 1½ hours, plus the often unpredictable border crossing time to enter either the U.S. or Mexico.
Last month, the company received a conditional permit from the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, to operate in California, and it is working with other local and federal agencies to secure other permissions.
The company is required to purchase four Tier 4 engines — two main and two auxiliary — and provide documentation that the vessel’s repowering has been scheduled with a shipyard.
“Once Azteca provides the required documentation to CARB and CARB approves it, Azteca may start operating the ferry in California,” a board spokesperson said Thursday.
Vázquez said the project is also in the process of updating the ship’s classification certificates to meet all the necessary requirements in both countries. He said they expect to complete this phase later this year.
There’s still no tentative date for a sea trial nor to start operations, he added. However, there is a website, with pricing. Prices are listed at $70 one-way and $130 round trip. However, Vázquez said that the website is up as a trial and that prices could change before the service begins.
The Port of San Diego said it is working with staff from the Port of Ensenada to get the binational service running.
“The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also need to approve the vessel and service,” a Port of San Diego spokesperson said. “Additionally, a business plan needs to be submitted to, reviewed by, and approved by the Port of San Diego to ensure operational feasibility. We remain engaged in the process and, when all necessary approvals are in place, are in of a trial run.”
CBP said the agency is “aware of various projects and discussions with the intent to improve the border crossing experience” but that “no commitments have been made at this time.”
Baja California officials have actively promoted the project in recent years. Baja California Secretary of Economy and Innovation Kurt Honold said Friday that state officials are all for projects to streamline border crossings. “It’s now a way to cross the border by sea,” Honold said.
Border wait times — both northbound and southbound — continue to be a problem in the cross-border region. As a result, officials in both countries have been exploring options to ease crossings over the years, from the possibility of extending the trolley line into Tijuana to a dedicated lane at the pedestrian crossing for trolley s, among others.
“It would be an excellent alternative to crossing the border,” Joaquín Luken, executive director of Smart Border Coalition, said of the ferry. “It would be a great relief and boost to tourism in the region, which we so desperately need.”
While such a ferry may not make as much sense for daily cross-border commuters, it could be especially popular with tourists and students in the region.
“There’s a big influx of people from Southern California to Ensenada, obviously for the Valle de Guadalupe, all the culinary offerings, the hotels, and the many events that take place there,” he said. “But there’s also a very important academic connection, with schools between San Diego and Ensenada.”
Project officials have also sought advice from another company with expertise in binational crossing initiatives — Cross Border Xpress, better known as CBX, which operates the bridge connecting San Diego to the Tijuana airport for air travel. Advice ranged from travel documentation to how to handle engers, said CBX CEO Jorge Goytortúa.
“Whatever we can do to binational community development, we will do,” he said.
