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Ferry News Worldwide

Ferry News:  everything you need to know about ferry lines, ships changing from one harbor to another, and takeovers (a lot is happening in this space). All ferry news around the world.

• This is what you’ll spend this summer on a ferry crossing.

The cost of a ferry vacation with a car and two persons uncovered.We reviewed the ferry price data for this summer and analysed the total costs and cost per kilometre for 34 destinations, ...

• Project Brave: New Ferry Rosyth-Dunkirk

Plans are underway to bring back a ferry service between Scotland and Europe by spring 2024, and discussions have intensified to establish this new ferry connection between Rosyth and Dunkirk.A ...

Sassnitz – Trelleborg Ferry Ends Season Early

Unfortunately, the 'Skane Jet' ferry service operated by FRS Baltic, which connects Sweden and Germany, had to end its 2023 operations prematurely due to delays in obtaining spare parts. This fast ...

Breaking / Update: Holland Norway Lines Bankrupt

Update: Holland Norway Lines just (4th of September) filed for Bankruptcy. The charter agreement has been terminated, which means the ship is no longer under the control of 'Holland Norway Lines' ...

Car rentals 15.4% cheaper this year, yet up 60% over 5 years.

After numerous years of consistent growth, this year ushers in a more cost-effective option for car rentals. The prices of small rental cars at various locations have decreased 15.4% this year. Over ...

Cap de Barbaria: Spain’s first electric ferry

Baleària's very first green ferry is called the Cap de Barbaria and has recently started operating between Ibiza and Formentera. Sustainability is of paramount importance at Baleària and in recent ...

CRUISE SMERALDA to serve on the Malmö-Travemünde route

As of 13 April, CRUISE SMERALDA, owned by Grimaldi Group, will be operating for Finnlines on the Malmö-Travemünde route. The ferry arrived a few weeks ago in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, from the ...

Tallink Grupp’s Ferries plug to OPS at Tallinn, Helsinki, and Stockholm ports

Megastar, ferry from the fleet of Tallink's vessels berthed at the Port of Helsinki West Harbour on Friday, 7 April 2023. This shuttle vessel started drawing electricity from the shore overnight ...

Europe: Transtejo’s first all-electric ferry in Lisbon

Lisbon has joined the list of cities that offer an all-electric ferry service. The first in a series of ten all-electric ferries, the Cegonha Branca ferry has been delivered to operator Transtejo by ...

HYDRA: World’s first liquid hydrogen-powered ferry

A leading global industrial gases and engineering company, Linde announced that the world’s first liquid hydrogen-powered ferry for cars and passengers, Hydra, was launched by the Norwegian shipping ...

Decarbonising Maritime Transport: New European Deal

On Thursday 23 March 2023, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union agreed upon a new EU regulation deal (FuelEU Maritime). The main aim of this agreement is to reduce ...

Hong Kong Going Hybrid: Two New Ferries Launched

Sun Ferry Services Company plans to deploy two brand new BV-classed hybrid ferries with onboard battery and solar power technology in Hong Kong.About Urban Sprinters 1000 FerriesDesigned by ...

Stena Vinga to Sail Between Rønne and Køg

Stena Vinga from Stena Line's ferry fleet is scheduled to operate from the Danish seaport of Køge to Rønne from 11 to 27 April 2023. Bornholmslinjen will charter this ferry to cover for Hammershus ...

Eemshaven Docking Problems forces HNL to move to Emden

Holland Norway Lines has found a solution for the recent problems on the connection from Eemshaven to Kristiansand. From mid-April, the connection to Kristiansand will first divert to Cuxhaven and ...

New Disney Cruise Line Island Destination in the Bahamas

Disney Cruise Line has announced it will begin welcoming guests to an exclusive new island destination in the summer of 2024. The company announced that the new island destination named Lighthouse ...

New ferries will connect Vancouver, Bowen Island, and Sunshine Coast by 2025

Greenline Ferries plans to launch a new Norwegian model of zero-emission all-electric catamaran vessel to link downtown Vancouver, Bowen Island, and Sunshine Coast. If all goes as planned, this ...

Engine Fire Breaks out on Stena Europe

There was a massive emergency services response to the Fishguard port after a fire broke out on the Stena Europe ferry on 11 February 2023. The Stena Line ferry was en route to Fishguard from ...

Stena Nordica to replace Stena Europe in July 2023

The Swedish ferry company, Stena Line will introduce Stena Nordica on its Fishguard – Rosslare route this July. This means that Stena Nordica will replace Stena Europe on the popular ferry route ...

Ferry from Netherlands to Norway won’t sail today

Update: This connection has changed to Emden-Kristiansand for the reasons below.. You can read more about this move here: Eemshaven docking problems forces HNL to move to Emden.Today's sailing ...

TT-Line adds Karlshamn to its route network

We are happy to inform you that TT-Line will be adding the port of Karlshamn to its route network in April 2023. This direct route from Klaipeda (Lithuania) to Karlshamn (Sweden) will be available ...

NZ Ferry troubles slowly getting better

In our latest update regarding the ferry troubles on the Wellington Picton connection, we mentioned that 5 out of 6 ships weren't sailing anymore. A few days later it's a bit better now since out of ...

Update: Major Problems for NZ Wellington-Picton ferries

New Update: Kaiarahi is sailing again from Wednesday onwards and the ferries from Bluebridge seem to be repaired fast as well.Usually, the fleet of ferries from Wellington to Picton consists of ...

Fjord Line won’t stop anymore at Langesund

The eco-friendly ships MS Stavangerfjord and MS Bergensfjord will resume traffic in May/June and permanently sail between Bergen, Stavanger, Hirtshals, and Kristiansand. This means that these ships ...

Port of Los Angeles Working on a New Cruise Terminal Development Project

The busiest seaport in the Western Hemisphere, the Port of Los Angeles is planning to construct a brand new cruise terminal and redevelop the existing Inner Harbor Cruise Terminal for $600m.This ...

BLUE STAR CHIOS Temporarily Launched on Tanger Med – Algeciras

Due to the annual maintenance of MOROCCO STAR and MOROCCO SUN (ships of AFRICA MOROCCO LINK), BLUE STAR CHIOS from the Blue Star Ferries fleet will sail temporarily on the Tanger Med – Algeciras ...

Stena Ebba in service: the newest, largest and most modern E-Flexer ferry

Stena Line will take a new ship into service this month: the E-Flexer Stena Ebba. This brand new ferry sails together with her sister ship Stena Estelle on the Baltic Sea between Karlskrona in ...

Havila Bans Electric & Hybrid Cars on Ferries

The ferry company Havila Kystruten operating in Norway is changing the rules for the transport of electric, hybrid, and hydrogen((Hydrogen Vehicles - Wikipedia.org)) cars within their fleet. The ...

Incat is confident it can deliver the largest zero-emission ferry in the world

While LNG is the cleanest of the fossil fuels((How clean is LNG - NationalGrid)), you can't really call it 100% green. Maybe that's why Incat is currently talking with one of its clients: Buquebús. ...

Top 50 passenger ports in Europe

This dataset is a combination of the stats of Eurostat((Eurostat: Passenger Data EU)) and UK Passenger 2021((Gov. UK: Annual Passenger data)) data. For the second time in a row, Messina is the ...

Largest Cruise: Icon of the Seas leaves the Port

The largest cruise ship in the world, the Icon of the Seas, was launched on December 9 at the Meyer Turku shipyard. The safe ship was then moved to the construction dock, where the now fully ...

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• A complete guide to ferries to France 2023

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• Ferry Tickets

Are you planning a ferry trip to France from the UK, Ireland, Italy, Spain, or North Africa? Here you can find all ferry routes to the ports of northern and southern France , wherever in Europe (and not only) you are coming from!

Find out all about available routes, compare ferry prices to France and book your tickets  on Ferryhopper at the same prices as ferry companies .

• Ferry routes to France (the UK, Balearics, Sardinia, etc.)
• Ferry companies traveling to France
• Planning a ferry trip to France

The lovely port of Cherbourg filled with sailboats

Which are the most popular ferry routes to France?

If you wish to travel to northern France by ferry, you can get there from England, Ireland and the Channel Islands (Guernsey, Alderney and Jersey). The French ports that you can reach from there are: Roscoff, Saint-Malo , Cherbourg , Caen , Le Havre , Dieppe, Calais , and Dunkirk .

To travel to southern France , you can catch a ferry from Italy (Sardinia), Spain (Balearics), and North Africa (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco). The French towns and cities that you can reach from there are Marseille, Toulon , and Nice in the French Riviera, as well as Sète .

Here you can find all ferry routes that you need to check if you want to travel to France by ferry:

Cross-channel ferries from the UK to France

Traveling by ferry to France from England is one of the easiest and most popular ways to reach France from the UK. The ferry is also very convenient if you want to cross the English Channel and bring along your vehicle . Many British ferries to France depart daily from the ports of southern England , such as Dover , Plymouth , Poole , Portsmouth , and Newhaven .

The Dover - Calais ferry is probably the most popular UK - France connection, with up to 25 daily ferry crossings and tickets starting at around €35. Note that on DFDS and Irish Ferries you can't travel from Dover to Calais as a foot passenger. You can only travel with a vehicle .

The ferry companies operating on routes from the UK to France are: Brittany Ferries, Irish Ferries, Stena Line, P&O Ferries, DFDS, and Condor Ferries.

Find out all about ferries from England to France:

Ferries to France from Dover

Dover to Calais ferry Dover to Dunkirk ferry

Ferry to France from Plymouth

Plymouth to Roscoff ferry

Ferries to France from Poole

Poole to Cherbourg ferry Poole to Saint-Malo ferry

Ferries to France from Portsmouth

Portsmouth to Saint-Malo ferry Portsmouth to Caen ferry Portsmouth to Cherbourg ferry Portsmouth to Le Havre ferry

Ferry to France from Newhaven

Newhaven to Dieppe ferry

Map of ferry ports in northern France connected with the UK and Ireland

Ferries from Ireland to France

You can also travel to Brittany and Normany in northern France from 3 ports in Ireland: Dublin , Rosslare and Cork . The fastest and cheapest Ireland - France ferry connection is the one from Cork to Roscoff , normally available up to 2 times a week. The crossing takes 14-15 hours and tickets start at around €55 for foot passengers.

Ferry tickets to France are also pretty cheap on the Rosslare - Cherbourg   route , starting at around €70. With about 3 weekly departures, the trip takes 15.5-18 hours.

The ferry companies operating on routes from Ireland to France are: Brittany Ferries, Irish Ferries and Stena Line.

Here some of the most popular ferries to France from Ireland:

Ferry from Dublin to France

Dublin to Cherbourg ferry

Ferry from Cork to France

Cork to Roscoff ferry

Ferries from Rosslare to France

Rosslare to Cherbourg ferry Rosslare to Le Havre ferry

Ferries from Spain and Italy to France

With Corsica Ferries vessels, you can reach important ports in southern France and the French Riviera all year round from:

• 2 ports of Sardinia in Italy: Golfo Aranci and Porto Torres . There are about 3 weekly sailings to Toulon and 2 weekly departures to Nice from Sardinia. Tickets start at around €30 and the trip takes around 12.5 hours.
• 2 Balearic islands in Spain: Mallorca and Menorca. The French port Toulon is connected to Alcudia (Mallorca) with around 2 weekly crossings and Ciutadella (Menorca) with 1 weekly crossing. The Balearics - Toulon trip lasts 14-17 hours and tickets start at around €30.

Here’s a list of all available Sardinia - France and Balearics - France ferry routes:

• Golfo Aranci - Toulon ferry
• Porto Torres - Toulon ferry
• Porto Torres - Nice ferry
• Mallorca (Alcudia) - Toulon ferry
• Menorca (Ciutadella) - Toulon ferry

Major ports on the southern coast of France: Sète, Marseille, Toulon, and Nice

Ferries from North Africa to France

Did you know that, apart from European ports, you can also reach southern France from 3 countries in North Africa? In fact, you can get to France by ferry from:

• Morocco : you can travel to Sète and Marseille from the ports of Nador and Tangier . Ferries from Morocco, such as the Nador - Sète ferry and the Tangier (Tanger Med) - Sète ferry , usually take over 38 hours to reach France and tickets start at around €70.
• Algeria : you can get to Marseille from 3 ports in Algeria: Algiers, Béjaïa and Skikda. There are up to 8 weekly Algeria - Marseille crossings in total, operated by Corsica Lines. Ferries usually take 25-26 hours to arrive in France, while tickets normally start at around €135.
• Tunisia : you can also reach Marseille from the port of Tunis with up to 5 crossings a week . The ferry trip takes around 23 hours and tickets start at about €124.

The ferry companies operating on ferries from North Africa to France are: Baleària, GNV, Corsica Linea, La Méridionale, and CTN.

Ferry companies operating routes from/to France

There are 12 ferry operators traveling to France from Europe and North Africa:

• Brittany Ferries
• Irish Ferries
• P&O Ferries
• Condor Ferries
• Corsica Ferries
• GNV (Grandi Navi Veloci)
• Corsica Linea
• La Méridionale
• CTN (Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation)

The majestic “Stena Horizon” traveling between Rosslare and Cherbourg

FAQs for planning a ferry trip to France

What about vehicles, amenities and pets on ferries to France? Can you travel by high-speed ferry to France? Find answers to these and more questions below.

What's the fastest ferry to France?

The fastest crossing to France is the ferry from Dover (UK) to Calais . The ferry ride from Dover to Calais usually lasts 1 hour 30 minutes . The second fastest ferry to France is the one from Dover to Dunkirk, which takes approximately 2 hours.

As for high-speed ferries to France, there are only a few. For example, there is a high-speed ferry to France from the UK by Brittany Ferries, operating on the Portsmouth - Cherbourg crossing in about 3 hours.

Can I bring my car on the ferry to France?

Yes, you can bring your vehicle on all ferries serving crossings to France, as the majority are conventional vessels with car decks.

Tip : if you are traveling with a vehicle, make sure you book your ferry tickets well in advance , as car-deck spaces usually sell out fast on popular routes.

Which ferries to France allow pets on board?

The majority of ferries to France are pet-friendly so you can normally travel with your dog or cat (or other pet). Usually, pets can travel in a designated pet cabin or in a cage/kennel, or they can stay in your vehicle during the journey. They are not allowed in indoor areas but can walk around the deck as long as they wear a leash and a muzzle.

Depending on the operator, you might have to pay an additional fee for your pet. Make sure you bring your pet’s passport and health certificates , and fill out any form necessary for pet embarkation.

Note : each ferry company has its own pet policy, so make sure to check it or contact the company before your trip.

What documents do I need to board a ferry to France?

To travel by ferry from the UK or North Africa countries to France, you should carry a valid passport with you.

If you travel to France from Spain, Italy or Ireland, and are an EU citizen (Schengen Area), you just need an officially recognised European Union ID card . If you are not an EU citizen, you will need a valid passport.

At the moment, there are no Covid-19 restrictions in effect for ferry travel to France. That means that you have no formalities to complete (rapid antigen test, form of entry, etc.) and that you don’t need any Covid-19-related documents, such as a vaccination certificate, to enter the country.

The glorious Baleària “Regina Baltica” connecting France with Morocco

What to expect on board the ferry?

Depending on the company you book with, you can find a wide range of amenities and facilities on board ferries to France. The vast majority of these ferries are large conventional ferries, equipped with restaurants , cafés, lounges with TV, children’s playgrounds and game rooms, and shops.

Moreover, there are cabins available on almost all ferries to France (except for the Dover - Calais and Dover- Dunkirk routes). We strongly recommend booking a cabin, especially if you are traveling by ferry from Ireland, Sardinia, the Balearics or North Africa, as overnight ferries to France are very common and have a long duration (over 12 hours).

What is the cheapest ferry to France?

The cheapest route to northern France is the ferry from Dover to Calais . More specifically, you can book very cheap tickets to France with P&O ferries if you travel as a foot passenger . In this case, a single-passenger ticket starts at about €36 .

As for cheap ferries to southern France , the Corsica Ferries routes to Toulon from Mallorca, Menorca and Sardinia start at about €30 .

There are also several deals  on ferries to France available by ferry companies, such as Irish Ferries, P&O Ferries, DFDS, Brittany Ferries, on return tickets for short trips to France from Dover, Portsmouth and Poole. Bear in mind that any current offers on ferries to France are automatically applied when booking your tickets on Ferryhopper.

The stunning Old Port of Marseille on the French Riviera

Book ferries to France on Ferryhopper

In the north or in the south, the coasts of France are fascinating and well connected to the mainland. Ready for a magical ferry trip to France? Compare routes and schedules to and visualize your trip to France on our Map of ferries . Don't worry; it’s super easy to use!

Tip : want to use a mobile app where you can have your ferry tickets on your phone ? Download the Ferryhopper App for free, to keep your e-tickets (if available) in one place and track your ferry in real time !

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The world’s most spectacular ferry crossings

Hopping from destination to destination with a view of the ocean and the sea breeze in your hair is always a thrill. but these routes are lovelier than the rest, says tamara hinson, article bookmarked.

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I ncreasingly crowded skies, growing piles of lost luggage at airports and snaking security queues are just some of the reasons to embrace slow travel. And there’s nothing better than arriving at your destination by sea .

Ferries are quickly becoming the preferred mode of transport for travellers who don’t mind taking their time: they’re direct, scenic and spacious to move around on, if not necessarily the fastest mode of transport.

Not convinced? Take a look at – and ideally a seat on – one of the following fantastic ferry journeys, getting you there with maximum views and a bracing sea breeze.

British Virgin Islands

It’s a myth that you need a superyacht or helicopter to make the most of the Caribbean’s British Virgin Islands. Our favourite ferry route is the one that connects Virgin Gorda (the third-largest island) with Beef Island, which is then connected to Tortola (the largest) by road bridge. The islands’ ferries are great for people-watching – locals rely on these pet-friendly boats to get themselves and their belongings around, which explains why the ticket information lists the costs not just for people, but for added extras such as televisions, microwaves and bicycles. bviferries.com

Daintree Ferry, Australia

The Daintree Ferry crosses the Daintree River, connecting the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation with the rest of Far North Queensland. Passengers on these spectacular river crossings, which take 15 minutes, get to soak up lush views of the world ’s oldest rainforest, along with views of the Cape Tribulation headland – the only spot in the world where two Unesco world heritage sites (the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef) meet. A fun fact? The ferry moves along an underwater steel cable, and a hydraulic winch drags the boat between the riverbanks. daintreeferry.com.au

Heading to Rotterdam? We suggest swapping the stresses of airports for something more sedate – a 36-hour ferry London-Rotterdam crossing on a historic ship. Fair Ferry’s fleet includes a fishing vessel, freighter and a whaler. Our favourite is the Jantje , a sailing ship built in 1930. The ship and her six double cabins were recently given a spectacular makeover, although we suggest bagging one of the supersized beanbags on the top deck for the most scenic bits of the journey. Got a head for heights? Crew members will happily show you how to climb the mast. Keep an eye out for new routes, too – Fair Ferry recently announced plans to connect Rotterdam with South America. fairferry.com

Herjolfur, Iceland

It takes 20 minutes to fly from Reykjavik to the Icelandic island of Heimaey, but don’t expect to see much – the island’s often shrouded in cloud, and its puffin-dotted coastline is hard to appreciate from the air. Opt for the ferry, however, and it’s a different story. You’ll not only enjoy stunning views of Heimaey’s rugged coastline, shaped by millions of years of volcanic activity, but of nearby Ellioaey (a ribbon of rock that rises out of the ocean and has a single tiny white cottage), the sea caves peppering Heimaey’s coastline and the harbour, which almost ceased to exist in 1973 following the explosion of the Eldfell volcano. The molten lava that flowed towards the sea didn’t just reshape the harbour but came close to cutting it off until firefighters stopped its progress by pumping seawater into the lava flow.  herjolfur.is

Carmarthen Bay Ferries, Wales

For something closer to home, hop on one of Carmarthen Bay Ferries’ services. The fleet consists of a single boat, Glansteffan , which is the result of a collaboration between a Dutch designer, a Welsh boatbuilder and Sealegs, a New Zealand company that makes amphibious boats able to drive onto dry land from the water. The 10-passenger ferry connects Ferryside with Llansteffan, a route that comes with a backdrop of castle-topped Llansteffan, the Three Rivers estuary  and Carmarthen Bay. carmarthenbayferries.co.uk

Suruga Bay, Japan

It’s hard to beat Mount Fuji as a backdrop, and this is precisely what you’ll get to clap your eyes on during ferry trips across Suruga Bay. The ferries connect Shimizu Port in Shizuoka City with Toi Port in Izu City, and as much as we love both these destinations, it’s the landscape in between that takes a starring role. It’s not just about Mount Fuji, passengers also get uninterrupted views of the Miho no Matsubara scenic area, famous for its seven-kilometre pine tree-lined seashore. 223-ferry.or.jp

Stromma, Sweden

Stromma’s ferries cover a huge area, more specifically the 30,000 islands on the Stockholm archipelago. They don’t simply connect the islands, either – Stromma offers everything from dinner cruises and themed sailings (we recommend the one that sails under 12 of Stockholm’s oldest bridges) to excursions to historic sites such as the Vaxholm Fortress, a 16th-century waterfront castle. stromma.com

SeaLink NT, Australia

We’ve all heard of Darwin and the Northern Territory, but how about the Tiwi Islands, Groote Eylandt and Numbulwar? The SeaLink NT ferries put these fabulous destinations within easy reach of Darwin, although Sealink NT also offers a number of sightseeing excursions, many of which provide an insight into lesser-known destinations, such as Bathurst Island, where passengers get to meet members of the local Wurrumiyanga community – traditional landowners and accomplished artists. sealinknt.com.au

BC Ferries, Canada

BC Ferries are lean, green speed machines that connect British Columbia’s coastal communities. The fleet of ferries (including five hybrid boats, the most recent of which launched in 2022) sails through some of Canada’s most spectacular landscapes, ranging from the Inside Passage, which connects Vancouver Island’s Port Hardy to Prince Rupert in northern British Columbia, to the Port Hardy to Bella Coola route, during which you’ll travel through glacial fjords and ancient rainforests on BC Ferries’ Northern Sea Wolf. This particular boat is named after the creature believed to be a manifestation of the orca, a symbol of family and loyalty by the First Nations. Suddenly Red Funnel’s Red Eagle ferry looks rather plain. bcferries.com

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Square Feet

Skip the Traffic: Commuters Turn to Ferries to Get Around

Ferry ridership took a hit during the pandemic. But new terminals, additional routes and faster, smaller boats are driving a new era of water transportation and development.

A ferry arriving at Treasure Island, a former naval base that is a 10-minute ride from downtown San Francisco. Credit... Jim Wilson/The New York Times

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By Linda Baker

• April 8, 2024

As remote work reshapes the way people live and travel around cities, Americans are taking to the waterways not only as part of their commute but also as part of their daily lives.

Some coastal cities are seeing ferry ridership bounce back after a decline during the pandemic, and growing interest in water transit is spurring both new types of ferry services and waterfront development.

In Bremerton, Wash., a fast-growing Seattle suburb on Puget Sound, a $141 million development opened less than 100 yards from a high-speed passenger ferry that travels to downtown Seattle in 30 minutes; its older car ferry service takes an hour. Carteret, N.J., is launching a ferry service to Manhattan, adjacent to a waterfront film and television production complex. Ferry service is also central to the development of a new community on a former naval base off San Francisco.

The ferry boom comes as municipal governments are trying to address a variety of social, economic and environmental challenges, and as some of the country’s largest cities look to water transport to ease traffic, connect communities and meet housing and commercial development goals. Last year, the Federal Transit Administration announced grants totaling $220.2 million for ferry systems. And local governments are offering tax incentives to redevelop industrial zones.

Ferry systems are expanding beyond traditional commuter and tourist routes to meet the “discretionary travel patterns” of remote workers and retirees, said Ryan Avery, interim director of the Washington State Transportation Center at the University of Washington. “They’re doing it for shopping, going to a football, soccer or baseball game,” he said.

“The market changed,” he continued. “People also want faster service.” He noted the changes were also opening up opportunities for new types of terminal designs — as mixed-used hubs offering other transit connections, rather than as a single-use building surrounded by a parking lot.

In Bremerton, the ferry and the nearby Marina Square apartment complex are part of a third wave of waterfront development, said Wes Larson, founder and chief executive of the Sound West Group, which qualified for an eight-year property tax exemption on improvements for Marina Square. The area’s population has increased 6 percent since 2020, driven in part by Seattle’s high housing costs. (The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,997 in Seattle and $1,447 in Bremerton, according to Apartments.com.)

Marina Square has 270 apartments, a waterfront park, a restaurant and a market; a Y.M.C.A. is also planned. The complex includes studios and furnished, extended-stay suites for workers at Naval Base Kitsap, the region’s largest employer, four blocks away.

Over the past seven years, the transit agency in Kitsap County, which includes Bremerton, has opened three passenger-only fast ferry routes to Seattle, which can carry 120 to 350 people. The operation had more than one million riders in 2023, up 37 percent from the year before.

Last summer, the Washington State Ferries system reopened its primary ferry terminal in Seattle after a $467 million renovation. The city is developing a new waterfront that will reconnect downtown with Puget Sound.

The terminal, called Colman Dock, features public space, retail and food vendors, outdoor plazas and a site for charging electric ferries. The ferry agency is aiming for an emissions-free electric fleet by 2050.

In Carteret, Mayor Daniel J. Reiman is close to seeing his 15-year effort to launch a ferry service realized, with operations expected to start next year.

Carteret does not have a rail station, and local highways are overwhelmed by traffic, Mr. Reiman said. The ferry, he said, will provide “a much-needed alternate mode of transport to New York City, and gives the opportunity to redevelop an older urban community.”

The borough recently approved a $1 billion waterfront project that will include Carteret Stages, a 15-story movie and television production studio, hotel and retail and restaurant pavilion, to be built on a former DuPont Chemical site that has been vacant for almost 60 years. The site will also include a ferry terminal offering 20-minute service to Manhattan.

In San Francisco, a new neighborhood with retail, commercial space, parks and 8,000 apartments, condos and town homes is taking shape on Treasure Island, a former naval base that is a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown. The project is a partnership between the city and a private development group, Treasure Island Community Development.

“There is no more direct way to connect a resident on the island to the beauty of the bay than having a ferry service,” said Chris Meany, principal at Wilson Meany, the group’s lead developer. “The ferry also keeps you from ever having to be in a traffic jam.”

Treasure Island Community Development is funding the ferry operations, which started in 2022, for the first few years. The Water Emergency Transportation Authority , a public agency that operates the San Francisco Bay Ferry system, will take over.

The authority ’s ferry system, which includes 15 passenger boats, has recovered around 90 percent of its prepandemic ridership, partly by cutting fares and adding more service, said Jim Wunderman, the agency’s chairman.

The agency is also working on an expansion plan to ensure reliable transportation in the aftermath of an earthquake, he said. One strategy is to team up with local communities and developers to build ferry terminals in new neighborhoods.

“We’re advocating for ferries as a missing transit link, but also to create opportunities for development on the waterfront,” said Mr. Wunderman, who is also chief executive of the Bay Area Council, an economic development group.

Treasure Island will include housing for workers and homes and services for people who have been homeless, Mr. Meany said. Buildings will be 300 feet from the water’s edge to account for storm surges.

Even seasonal ferry service is attracting development. Last year, a new ferry in Lynn, Mass., offered a 35-minute passage to Boston’s Central Wharf from June through October. A development firm purchased an adjacent property that had been vacant for 40 years and built the Breakwater North Harbor complex with 331 apartments, said Jim Cowdell, executive director of the Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Corporation, the city’s economic development agency.

“The property was sold because of the ferry,” Mr. Cowdell said. “It’s a two-minute walk: You hop on the ferry and go into Boston.”

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