Bainbridge Island News

A fuel contamination issue led to the grounding of a Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel in April, the operator said in a recent update.The 440-foot double-ended Jumbo Class ferry Walla Walla was traveling from Bremerton, Wash. to Seattle with 596 passengers and 15 crew members on board when it ran aground in Rich Passage, just off Bainbridge Island, Wash., at approximately 4:30 p.m. on April 15. No injuries, pollution or damage to the vessel was reported.At the time of the incident…

A Washington State Ferries (WSF) passenger vessel has been refloated after running aground this weekend in Rich Passage, just off Bainbridge Island, Wash.The 440-foot double-ended Jumbo Class ferry Walla Walla returned to Bremerton on Sunday, after grounding at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday, while traveling to Seattle from Bremerton.There were 596 passengers and 15 crew members on board at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported, according to WSF.Passengers were transferred onto Kitsap Transit vessels and taken to Bremerton…

An improperly tightened fastener led to a diesel engine failure on the passenger and car ferry Wenatchee near Bainbridge Island, Wash., resulting in nearly $3.8 million in damages, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.On April 22, 2021, the catastrophic failure of the no. 3 main engine aboard the Wenatchee during a sea trial in Puget Sound led to the ejection of components from the engine and resulted in a fire in the no. 2 engine room. No injuries or pollution were reported.In November 2020…

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Monday announced more than $7.5 million in grants to nine Marine Highway projects. The funding, provided by MARAD’s America’s Marine Highway Program, will go toward enhancing existing services in Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington“This $7.5 million investment will improve our country’s vital fuel-efficient waterway transportation system, which makes an important contribution to exports and economic growth,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) today announced the designation of nine Marine Highway Projects and a Marine Highway Route that will benefit Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington State and American Samoa. Marine highways are navigable waterways that can be used as alternate options to traditional shipping methods. “The designation of marine highways by Congress will help move cargo and people to help grow the economy and shift freight off of congested highways,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

Washington State Ferries, the nation’s largest ferry system, carried nearly 24.5 million passengers in 2017, its highest ridership since 2002. Ridership increased for the ninth consecutive year and was up by more than 250,000 over 2016. “We expect our ridership to continue to grow as more people move to Western Washington,” said WSF head Amy Scarton. “As part of the state highway network, the ferry system is a critical link between more affordable housing on the west side of the sound and key employment centers on the east side.

Washington State Ferries (WSF) has sold its oldest ferry, Evergreen State, for $300,000 to Jones Broadcasting, LLC., who plans to use the 63-year-old vessel for ferry service in the protected waters of the southern Caribbean. “The Evergreen State is a special ferry. It was the first vessel custom built for Washington State Ferries in 1954,” said Ferries Chief of Staff Elizabeth Kosa. The first of the three Evergreen State class auto/passenger ferries, the 87-car, 854-passenger Evergreen State features surplus drive motors from World War II.

Krill Systems Inc. was founded as a software development company focusing on accurate vessel fuel consumption measurement and efficient data transmission. In 2011, identifying demand from commercial marine markets for accurate, reliable, fuel management and emissions control technologies, Krill became a ‘system integrator’ with the ability to supply a broad spectrum of fuel flow meters and other accessory components. Commercial clients also encouraged Krill to provide solutions to accurately measure and report Bunker fuel on vessels and measurement of bunker flow at on-shore facilities.

Improved funding and management changes have the nation’s largest ferry system on a course to better times. Challenges remain, but WSF tackles each one in turn. Unlike the citizens of British Columbia, which pays a German shipyard to build its ferries, Washington state residents resolutely invest at home. By law, ferries are built locally and the results, overall, seem win-win. The state’s Office of Financial Management estimates that every $75 million in ferry construction generates about $90 million for the state’s economy.

Washington State Ferry M/V Tacoma will return to work on the Seattle/Bainbridge Island route starting March 28 after suffering electrical damage last summer. The Tacoma lost power and suffered significant damage to its electrical switchboard system transiting from Seattle to Bainbridge Island in July 2014, requiring ferry maintenance workers, engineers and contractors to spend eight months inspecting and rebuilding the system. In mid-March, crews conducted a battery of tests at the dock and at sea to ensure the electrical system is fully operational.

A dead gray whale has floated underneath a busy commuter ferry terminal in downtown Seattle, sending a putrid odor wafting onto the dock and diverting some passenger ferries to another slip, a transportation official said on Thursday. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration planned to remove the carcass later in the day and perform tests to determine the cause of death, said Susan Harris, a spokeswoman with Washington State Ferries. The whale carcass, which Harris described as "a little bit smelly," was estimated at between 25 and 35 feet (7.6 and 10.6 meters) long and had apparently drifted in from open waters, lodging under the busy Colman Dock in Seattle.

Interim Assistant Secretary WSDOT/Ferries Division, Capt. George A. Capacci, says that ongoing investigations suggest that damage to the ferry's propulsion system following a 29, July disabling breakdown may be more extensive than previously thought. "This week, WSF engineers, alongside vendor technicians from Siemens Global, Inc., continued to take part in an ongoing and thorough investigation into what went wrong in the Tacoma’s loss of propulsion power on July 29. Siemens believes the damage is more extensive than the initial review revealed. For this reason, Siemens will require additional time to complete their investigation and prepare a recommended repair plan. "This has been a challenging week for Washington State Ferries and the customers we serve.

A three-month safety investigation recently concluded that human error was responsible for the failure of an electric drive motor that removed the 188-car ferry Walla Walla from service. According to the final report, investigators determined the motor failure was avoidable and resulted from mistakes made by Washington State Ferries personnel. The motor failure occurred Nov. 4, 2012 when the Walla Walla was undergoing routine annual maintenance at Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island. •    Communication between engine crew and maintenance staff was insufficient.

Following a recent routine departure from Seattle, WA, the Washington State Ferry’s (WSF) M/V WENATCHEE was steaming across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. when two passengers notified the Captain that they saw a woman go overboard. Immediately, he broadcast a “Man Overboard” alert and the crew began rescue efforts. The M/V WENATCHEE’s deck crew  prepared the rescue boat for immediate launch. The deck and cabin crew prepared the first aid response, handled crowd control of the vessel’s several hundred passengers, and located the missing woman’s husband.

Krill Systems offers a new management tool, the Vessel Operations Center (VOC), that allows Fleet Managers to monitor entire fleet fuel usage and receive synchronized fleet reports anywhere they are required, automatically, via Internet. Headquartered in Bainbridge Island, WA, Krill Systems is enjoying strong growth in: Offshore Towing, Inland Towing, Ferry and OSV markets, with successful fittings on individual boats of major corporations operating in these fields. Krill Systems uses Microsoft SQL server database technology to record all sensor data with 2 second resolution and storage capacity of at least one year. Any communication system including Cellular or Satellite internet access…

Krill Systems Inc., a leader in advanced fuel and vessel monitoring systems, announces an important new management tool, the Vessel Operations Center (VOC), that allows Fleet Managers to monitor entire fleet fuel usage and receive synchronized fleet reports anywhere they are required, automatically, via Internet. Headquartered in Bainbridge Island, WA, Krill Systems is enjoying strong growth in: Offshore Towing, Inland Towing, Ferry and OSV markets, with successful fittings on individual boats of major corporations operating in these fields.

Washington State Ferries (WSF) said it will work to implement a majority of 36 recommendations made by an independent panel to improve ferry operations. Changes will come in ferry management, vessel and terminal maintenance, finance, scheduling, labor and customer service, according to an action plan the Ferries Division of the Washington State Department of Transportation submitted to Gov. Chris Gregoire. “We have a world-class ferry system that provides marine highways throughout the Puget Sound region that are vital to our economy and our way of life,” Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said. In March, Gov. Gregoire asked the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) to conduct a review of how well WSF has implemented changes recommended by past system reviews and audits…

1885-Keeper Marcus Hanna of the Cape Elizabeth Light Station saved two men from the wrecked schooner Australia. For this rescue Hanna was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Port Hudson in 1863. He is the only person to have ever received both awards. 1915- President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the "Act to Create the Coast Guard," an act passed by Congress on 20 January 1915 that combined the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service to form the Coast Guard (38 Stat. L., 800). The Coast Guard, however, still considers the date of the founding of the Revenue Cutter Service, 4 August 1790, as its "official" birthday, even though the Lighthouse Service, absorbed in 1939, is even older than that, dating to 7 August 1789.

The newest vessel to be added to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) fleet of ferries was delivered by builder Todd Pacific Shipyards today. The 64-car ferry, Salish, will restore two-boat service to the Port Townsend/Coupeville route in July. “We feel a great sense of satisfaction after having built and delivered this complex vessel,” said Steve Welch, president of Todd Pacific Shipyards. “It’s going to transport millions of passengers for the next fifty years or more.

The American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Women in Safety Engineering (WISE) Common Interest Group has honored  100 women from around the world for making a difference in the safety, health and environmental (SH&E) field as part of the WISE ‘100 Women, Making a Difference in Safety’ project. Mary Armstrong, who is based in the Seattle area, was honored for her dedication to protecting people, property and the environment. Armstrong is the vice president of Environment, Health and Safety at Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company. She joined the company in 1984 as a process engineer for manufacturing research and development, and steadily ascended the chain of command during the last two decades.

Repairs to the 90-car Sealth continue after damage to the vessel’s engine output shaft was discovered on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Engineers estimate that the vessel will be ready to return to service by the end of the week of Jan. 11, after repairs and sea trials are completed. The Sealth was brought to WSF’s Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island last Wednesday, Jan. 6, and engineers determined that extensive repairs would be required. WSF sent its only backup vessel, the 34-car Hiyu, to serve as the inter-island vessel in the San Juans beginning Thursday, Jan. The 87-car Evergreen State is serving in place of the Sealth in the mornings.

1885-Keeper Marcus Hanna of the Cape Elizabeth Light Station saved two men from the wrecked schooner Australia. For this rescue Hanna was awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal. He was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions at Port Hudson in 1863. He is the only person to have ever received both awards. 1915- President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the "Act to Create the Coast Guard," an act passed by Congress on 20 January 1915 that combined the Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service to form the Coast Guard (38 Stat. L., 800). The Coast Guard, however, still considers the date of the founding of the Revenue Cutter Service, 4 August 1790, as its "official" birthday, even though the Lighthouse Service, absorbed in 1939, is even older than that, dating to 7 August 1789.

Lawrence Robert “Larry” Glosten, founder of The Glosten Associates, a Seattle naval architecture firm, died February 22, 2010 in his home on Bainbridge Island, Wash. He was 91. Glosten graduated from Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in 1940. He subsequently served as a Ship Repair Officer and dockmaster at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard during the early months of World War II. His naval duty included assignment to the Bureau of Ships Preliminary Design Division and, later, to the Bikini Atoll atomic weapon tests.