Of Transportation Ferries Division News

Members of the media are invited to join in recognizing the Washington State Ferries (WSF) crew who saved their captain’s life after he collapsed at the helm of the Chetzemoka on Christmas Eve. WSF’s highly trained crew will be honored by Deputy Secretary of Transportation Keith Metcalf and the head of Washington State Ferries, Lynne Griffith. The crew will also be presented with Life Ring awards. The program will begin on Friday, Jan. 20, on the 10:55 a.m. sailing from Point Defiance to Tahlequah. Visuals: Against the backdrop of an iconic ferry ride’s scenery, the captain will personally thank his crew for their quick action and officials will award each of the crew members with a Life Ring award, an honor given to WSF staff whose actions help save lives.

The 60-year-old Mukilteo Ferry Terminal is one step closer to replacement. On Friday, Aug. 22 the Federal Transit Administration signed a record of decision allowing the Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division to design and construct a new ferry terminal in Mukilteo, Wash. The Mukilteo terminal is one of the state’s busiest terminals, serving nearly 4 million passengers last year. However, the terminal is vulnerable to earthquakes and in need of major repairs to continue safe, reliable ferry service between Mukilteo and Clinton.

Washington State Ferries say they are another step closer to significantly reducing fuel costs and transportation emissions by switching a class of vessels from diesel fuel to liquefied natural gas. After more than three years of study, WSF has a plan to safely convert six Issaquah Class vessels to run on cleaner-burning LNG. The proposal has been officially submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard in a formal letter of intent (LOI) and waterways suitability assessment (WSA). The submission of the LOI and WSA marks the official starting point of the Coast Guard’s review process.

The 60-year old Mukilteo ferry terminal (about 25 miles north of Seattle) is one step closer to replacement with the release of a final environmental impact statement. “We’ve reached a major milestone,” said David Moseley, assistant secretary for the Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division. The Mukilteo terminal is the state’s busiest terminal, serving nearly 4 million passengers last year. But it is vulnerable to earthquake and in need of major repairs to continue safe, reliable ferry service between Mukilteo and Clinton.

Washington State Ferry (WSF) service disruptions should diminish soon, as three ferries return to service from shipyard. The expected return to service of three ferry vessels over the next two weeks will help alleviate temporary service disruptions occurring now on two major ferry routes. The 202-car Tacoma, in for routine maintenance, is expected to return to service Friday evening, Dec. 14. That will be followed Monday, Dec. 17, by the return of the 90-car Sealth, now awaiting dry dock availability for weld repairs.

New US Coast Guard regulations require Washington State Ferries to increase crew on Puget Sound routes. The Jumbo, Super, Issaquah and Evergreen State ferry classes – which carry many of the system’s 22 million annual riders – have new staffing requirements before they may sail on the waters of Puget Sound, in order to comply with a new directive from the United States Coast Guard. Washington State Ferries has already added two crewmembers to the Issaquah ferry and will implement the new staffing levels for the others once the USCG issues the revised certificate of inspection for each vessel.

Washington State Ferry 'Walla Walla' suffers part engine meltdown in shiprepair yard putting it out of service indefinitely. A failure in one of the drive motors on the 188-car ferry, Walla Walla, has left parts of the ferry near the engine melted and charred, and the vessel is inoperable and out of service indefinitely. The incident happened while the vessel was in for routine, regularly scheduled maintenance work on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012; work which included inspection of electrical drive motors, overhauling the boiler and pre-checks for U.S. Coast Guard annual inspections.

Washington State Department of Transportation’s Ferries Division employees devised a plan that saved US$700,000 a year. Crew members of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Ferries Division won the President’s Transportation Award for water transportation and were recognized for their exemplary service to save fuel on the Edmonds/Kingston ferry route. Beginning in 2010, three WSF employees – Staff Chief Engineer Mark Nitchman, Captain John Tullis and retired Captain Bill Chapple – collaborated to identify a method to save fuel on one of the largest vessels in the system, the 202-car, 2,500-passenger Puyallup, serving the Edmonds/Kingston route.

G4S Technology LLC wins Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division contract to upgrade security systems. G4S Technology LLC (formerly Adesta), a systems integrator and project management company for electronic security systems and communication networks, has been awarded a $3.8M contract from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division to provide security system upgrades. They will install new Milestone XProtect® Corporate Video Management Software (VMS).

US Fab Contracts Nichols Brothers Boat Builders to build the second 144-Car Washington State Ferry Superstructure. At their Seattle facility, US Fab, a subsidiary company of Vigor Industrial will partner once again with Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, Washington to build the second 144-Car Washington State Ferry. The Vessel is the second to be built in the Olympic Class for Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries division. Construction of the first vessel is currently underway at both US Fab and Nichols Brothers facilities.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced the appointment of 29 members to the new Marine Transportation System National Advisory Council (MTSNAC), established to advise the Department on matters relating to marine transportation. “Shifting some of our freight from the highways to open inland waterways is a fuel-efficient, cost-effective way to move goods and reduce roadway congestion,” said Secretary LaHood. The Department will task the MTSNAC with developing recommendations on establishing new marine highway services and port infrastructure development, among other issues. “The experience brought to bear by this diverse panel is impressive,” said Maritime Administrator David Matsuda. “These maritime experts have a lot to contribute.

The Friday Harbor ferry terminal will get a safety upgrade thanks to a $240,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) will use the funding to build a barrier and gate to keep walk-on customers separated from vehicle traffic during ferry loading and off-loading. The project will also include signs to direct foot passengers to the terminal exit, town landmarks, and pick-up/drop-off areas. “Safety is our top priority…

Officials with the Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division said that changes to software controlling the propeller system on the new Chetzemoka ferry may provide a temporary solution to vibration issues first discovered last month. Additional sea trials are scheduled for the middle of next week after representatives of the propulsion-control company write software exerting greater control over the engine “ramping,” which allows the bow propeller to slow the ship as it approaches the dock. The goal is to ramp up the propeller speed over a period of a few seconds longer, as opposed to a more sudden and quick thrust of power.

Nearly four years after the retirement of the Steel Electric Class ferries, the Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) will welcome the newest addition to the state ferry fleet. The 64-car Salish will be the center of a community celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the Port Townsend ferry terminal. WSF and the communities of Port Townsend and Whidbey Island will celebrate the restoration of two-boat service on the Port Townsend/Coupeville route. The Salish will join her sister ship Chetzemoka on the route in July. WSF hopes to have the Salish in service by the Fourth of July weekend, but will confirm the date at the conclusion of sea trials scheduled to wrap up at the end of June.

The new 64-car ferry Salish will begin service on the Port Townsend/Coupeville route at noon on Friday, July 1, following a community celebration in Port Townsend on June 30. Two-boat service will continue on the route until Oct. 10. “I know how important it is to the communities to restore full service on the route in time for the busy holiday weekend,” said Assistant Secretary David Moseley. “This couldn’t have been accomplished without the hard work and dedication of many people. I especially want to thank the deck and engine crews for their role in bringing the Salish into service. The Salish begins service with the noon sailing from Port Townsend. The Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) will begin taking vehicle reservations for the Salish soon.

On Friday, Jan. 16, the Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) closed the sale of the passenger-only fast ferries Chinook and Snohomish to the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District of Larkspur, California. The total sale price for the two vessels was $4m. In 2006, the Washington State Legislature voted to end state funding for passenger-only ferries. In 2007 the Legislature directed WSF to conduct the sale process of the Chinook and Snohomish and deposit the sale proceeds into a passenger ferry account. The proceeds from the sale will be used to help fund county-run passenger-only ferry service. The Chinook and Snohomish were built in the late 1990’s and provided passenger-only service between Seattle and Bremerton from 1998 to 2003.

Washington State Department of Transportation Ferries Division (WSF) has sold four 1927-built Steel Electric class vessels to Eco Planet Recycling, Inc. of Chula Vista, Calif. The total combined sale price for all four ferries is $200,000. The Washington State Department of General Administration approved the sale on Wednesday, June 17 followed by completion of the signature process on Thursday, June 18. Receipt of the payment was confirmed late on Friday, June 19. “The Steel Electric class vessels served as unforgettable icons of life in the Pacific Northwest,” said Assistant Secretary for WSF David Moseley. In November 2007, Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond ordered theQuinault, Illahee, Nisqually and Klickitat removed from service due to safety concerns.

The Washington State Department of Transportation’s Ferries Division (WSF) took the next step in the process to build new ferries, opening bids this morning, October 8, on a contract to construct up to three new 64-car vessels. Todd Pacific Shipyards submitted the only bid. Bids were solicited for construction and delivery of two 64-car ferries with an optional third vessel. Todd’s proposed bid price for the first two vessels in the contract was $114m. The WSF engineer’s estimate is $109.9m. The timeline for vessel construction is approximately 20 months each for the first two vessels. The decision to exercise the option to add the construction of a third vessel will be made no later than May 31, 2011.

Washington State Department of Transportation’s Ferries Division (WSF) announced on Oct. 13, that it is awarding a contract to Todd Pacific Shipyards to build two additional 64-car ferries. Todd Shipyards submitted a $114m bid on Thursday, October 8 to build two more 64-car ferries. With the contract award, Todd will begin constructing the second and third ferries in this new class of vessels. WSF awarded a contract to Todd to construct the first 64-car ferry in December 2008. That vessel is under construction and scheduled to go into service on the Port Townsend/Keystone route in late-summer 2010. “This contract award is expected to sustain nearly 400 family wage jobs,” said. Gov. Chris Gregoire.

WSF is the world’s largest ferry system based on the number of vehicles carried each year and the third largest in the world based on the 23,000,000 passengers served each year. WSF operates mostly domestic ferry routes in Puget Sound, Washington USA, but also operates a ferry route from Anacortes, Washington to Sidney, B.C. Canada (the “International Route”). WSF is seeking information on the purchase/sale availability of a foreign flagged ferry that WSF would operate on the International Route, contingent upon no intermediate stops in the San Juan Islands or elsewhere in the U.S. Direct sailing time would be approximately two hours one way. •    Able to complete two Anacortes, WA – Sidney, B.C. •    Sized for American vehicles. WSF standards 18.5’ long/8.5’ wide/8.5’ tall.