{"id":1197,"date":"2026-06-04T19:35:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1197"},"modified":"2026-06-04T19:35:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T19:35:13","slug":"nc-says-it-might-have-to-cut-ferry-service-because-of-high-diesel-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1197","title":{"rendered":"NC says it might have to cut ferry service because of high diesel prices"},"content":{"rendered":"

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North Carolina\u2019s ferry system may need to cut back service during the busy summer months if it does not get help paying its unusually high fuel bills, state officials say.<\/p>\n

Read more American Airlines partners with Elon Musk to bring faster internet to flights<\/a><\/p>\n

The cost of the diesel fuel the state uses in its ferry fleet is up 75% on average since the start of the U.S.\/Israeli war with Iran in February. World oil prices spiked and have remained high after the conflict closed the Strait of Hormuz, the passage in and out of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world\u2019s oil supply moves by ship.<\/p>\n

The N.C. Department of Transportation will be able to cover the added cost to run its ferries through June, the end of the state\u2019s fiscal year, according to Jonathan Mauldin, a business analyst for the department.<\/p>\n

But NCDOT is asking lawmakers for an extra $3 million to keep the ferries running at their full schedule for the year starting July 1. The department\u2019s 21 ferries carry residents and visitors over seven routes across the Currituck and Pamlico sounds and the Cape Fear, Neuse and Pamlico rivers.<\/p>\n

Without help with its fuel bill, the state will need to run boats less often just as the ferries are busiest with tourists and seasonal residents, said Jed Dixon, director of NCDOT\u2019s Ferry Division<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s extremely important for all of our users,\u201d Dixon said. \u201cOcracoke depends on ferry, and if we don\u2019t have our full schedule, especially in their peak season, it has real impacts for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state can\u2019t easily recoup the higher fuel costs by charging users because most rides are free. NCDOT collects tolls on only three of the seven car ferry routes, across the Cape Fear River and over Pamlico Sound between Ocracoke and both Swan Quarter and Cedar Island.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s ferries use an off-road diesel fuel that is not subject to highway taxes. While the average pump price for diesel in North Carolina on May 25 was about $5.30 a gallon, according to AAA, the state was paying about $4.15 a gallon to fill its boats, Mauldin said.<\/p>\n

Read more Missing Charlotte man found dead in remote part of nature preserve, NC police say<\/a><\/p>\n

But that\u2019s up from less than $2.50 a gallon this winter, he said.<\/p>\n

The state saw a similar spike in diesel prices when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, driving up world oil prices. Diesel remained high through that year, Mauldin said, but had returned nearly to pre-war levels by the summer of 2023.<\/p>\n

This time, diesel prices will likely remain high for longer, through 2027, said NCDOT Deputy Secretary Julie White. She cites U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts<\/a> that say some Middle East oil production will likely remain disrupted through the end of this year.<\/p>\n

As members of the General Assembly continue to craft a state budget<\/a>, White said NCDOT has made its case for help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in conversations with them about this,\u201d she said Wednesday. \u201cOur hope is that they appropriate money to help with the fuel budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

NCDOT expects its ferries to use nearly 2.2 million gallons of diesel in the year starting July 1, if they run a full schedule. At $4.15 a gallon, the ferry system would spend $9.1 million on fuel, or $3 million more than its fuel budget for the year.<\/p>\n

Without help, the ferry system says it would need to cut its schedule by 43% to break even on fuel.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 3:20 PM<\/span> with the headline “NC says it might have to cut ferry service because of high diesel prices.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more NC grocer\u2019s expansion wave around Charlotte area continues. New store date set<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NC Department of Transportation says fuel for its ferries costs 75% more than before the war with Iran disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nNC says it might have to cut ferry service because of high diesel prices - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1197\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NC says it might have to cut ferry service because of high diesel prices - 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