Carteret’s planned ferry service will receive a new electric, low-emission boat through a $9.6 million federal grant awarded to NJ Transit, borough officials announced.

The Federal Transit Administration grant will fund what is expected to become Carteret’s third ferry boat. The borough will partner with NJ Transit on the project.

Mayor Daniel Reiman said the typical procurement and construction process would put delivery of the new ferry around 2030. Carteret’s multimodal ferry terminal is expected to open by early 2028 or sooner, although Reiman said ferry service could begin earlier.

Carteret already has two ferry boats. The Theodore Roosevelt is at the Carteret Municipal Marina, while a second boat is under construction in New Orleans. The borough has previously received an additional $8 million in grants for its ferry boats.

The new federal funding is part of $665 million awarded for 23 ferry projects across 14 states.

Construction is also underway on Carteret’s four-story, 52,000-square-foot multimodal ferry terminal. A nearly $47.5 million construction contract was awarded last year, and the terminal is expected to be completed by December 2027.

The borough says the planned service will connect Carteret with Manhattan, with an initial projection of three or four trips during both the morning and evening. The terminal is also designed to accommodate NJ Transit buses, municipal jitneys and rideshare services.

Carteret officials say they have secured more than $100 million in federal and state grants for the overall ferry project.