The state will replace a 35-year-old ferry that serves Islesboro with one that is more climate-friendly thanks to a new batch of federal funds.

The Maine Department of Transportation will receive $33 million to modernize the state’s ferry service, including $28 million for a hybrid-electric vessel to serve the 600 residents of Islesboro, an island in upper Penobscot Bay, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) announced Thursday.

“Maine’s ferries are indispensable to those who live and work in our island communities, providing passenger, freight, and postal services and transporting students to school and people to their jobs,” Collins said in a statement.

The $33 million also includes about $5 million to improve the Maine State Ferry Service, including funds for staffing, maintenance and customer communications.

The ferry service serves six island communities, with the Margaret Chase Smith Islesboro route being the most traveled. More than 180,000 walk-on passengers and over 73,000 vehicles traveled that route in 2019.

Pingree lives on North Haven, another island served by the ferry service.

“As we electrify our auto and trucking fleet and expand our network of charging stations throughout the state, ferries are a natural extension of that evolution and shouldn’t be left behind,” Pingree said in a statement.