Wsdot Ferries Division News

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will launch a competitive bid process for the construction of its next five hybrid-electric ferries after negotiations stalled with shipbuilder Vigor.Vigor, which has built a number of existing vessels for WSDOT's Washington State Ferries (WSF), is currently finalizing designs for the new ferry class and was also lined up to build the vessels, but the shipyard and WSDOT could not agree on price and other contract terms…

"As I close out my first week as Assistant Secretary, I am looking forward to the days ahead serving the customers and employees of our nation’s largest ferry system. In the near term, my biggest priority will be maintaining our 99 percent service reliability. During my first 30 days I will be spending the majority of my time traveling around the system and meeting with employees, labor partners and shipyard contractors to become familiar with the daily workings of WSF. This week has already been busy. I had a safety briefing and overview of our security and emergency response facilities at WSF Headquarters and toured the Operations Center.

In the latest Washington State Ferries Weekly Update, Capt. George A. The 60-year-old Mukilteo ferry terminal is one step closer to replacement. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has signed a 'Record of Decision' allowing WSF to design and construct a new Mukilteo ferry terminal. Thank you to all of our project partners, consulting tribes, and the public for collaborating to reach this milestone. We’re looking forward to building a safe and efficient new terminal that opens the Mukilteo waterfront and improves multimodal connections. This week, we signed the 'Notice to Proceed' document for construction of the third Olympic-Class 144-car ferry. Work will begin late this year.

Capt. George A. Capacci Interim Assistant Secretary WSDOT/Ferries Division reports in the 'WSF Weekly Update'  on the 'Tacoma' repair plan as follows: "This week, we received an initial update on the Tacoma repair plan from Siemens Marine Solutions. The report says a fuse blew in the vessel’s propulsion control system without indication to the operating engineers, triggering a chain of events that led to the power failure. We continue to review the cause of the incident. A Board of Inquiry, WSF’s highest level of investigation, convened this week and expects to complete their work once the vessel repair is complete. Preliminary findings show the Tacoma will be out of service until at least December 2014. Source: WSF Weekly Update

Overnight engine repairs and a meeting with Ferry Advisory Committee executives are detailed In this excerpt from the latest 'Washington State Ferries Weekly Update', by Capt. George A. Capacci, Interim Assistant Secretary WSDOT/Ferries Division. WSF crews constantly monitor the mechanical and support systems on all of our vessels. This week, the Vessel Engine department and Eagle Harbor maintenance crews completed overnight repairs on several vessels, including the Walla Walla, Spokane, and the Hyak. These repairs included replacing internal bolts that secure the piston on one of the Walla Walla’s main engines; repairing a cracked exhaust expansion joint on the Spokane; and replacing a seal on the Hyak’s generator.

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.

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).

SEATTLE – The new class of 144-car Washington state ferries currently under construction will be named after a beloved Washington landmark, the Olympics. The winning name, Olympic, was selected by Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond after a contest among Washington State Department of Transportation employees resulted in more than 130 submissions. “I loved the mountain range theme,” said Hammond. “You can see the Olympic mountains from any ferry route in our system,” said Assistant Secretary David Moseley.

The new Washington State ferry Salish is completing builder’s sea trials in Puget Sound. The vessel is expected to begin serving the Port Townsend-Coupeville route this summer, restoring full two-boat service to the route for the first time since 2007. Contractor Todd Pacific Shipyards is conducting sea trials to demonstrate the vessel to U.S. Coast Guard and WSDOT Ferries Division (WSF) inspectors before WSF accepts delivery of the vessel. Later this spring, WSF crews will begin…

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced more than $42m in grants to improve ferry service and build new docks and facilities in 15 states and Puerto Rico. Congress authorized the Federal Highway Administration’s Ferry Boat Program was created to fund ferry boat projects that provide critical access to areas that lack other means of transportation where high passenger demand already exists. Program funds can be used for capital improvements to existing ferry operations which could increase the number of riders, relieve congestion or address environmental or significant operational concerns. The projects include funding…

WSDOT Ferries Division (WSF) is adding two 149-passenger foot ferries to the one auto ferry service between Seattle and Bremerton for the Monday afternoon commute and until further notice. WSF is contracting with private operator Victoria Express to provide this service. Pending fog delays, passenger-only service will begin Monday, Aug. 31, with one 149-passenger ferry leaving Bremerton at 3 p.m. and leaving Seattle at 4 p.m. A second 149-passenger-only ferry is expected to begin service leaving Seattle at 4:20 p.m. •    5:00 p.m. •    5:40 p.m. •    6:20 p.m. •    6:45 p.m. •    7:15 p.m. •    7:55 p.m. •    9:05 p.m. Auto ferry service was reduced on the Bremerton route because the Wenatchee has been removed from service following a hard landing Sunday morning, Aug. 30.

WSDOT Ferries Division (WSF) reduced Seattle/Bremerton ferry service to one 124-auto ferry August 3 beginning with the 5:30 p.m. sailing from Seattle to Bremerton. This will allow WSF to restore two-boat service on the Edmonds/Kingston route. The 188-auto Spokane that was operating on the Edmonds/Kingston route was removed from service Monday morning for repairs. To fill in for the Spokane, WSF will move the 144-auto Hyak to the Edmonds/Kingston route later this evening, serving alongside with the 202-auto Puyallup. The 124-auto Kitsap will continue to serve the Seattle/Bremerton route. The Seattle/Bremerton route will be on one-boat service through the rest of the evening, cancelling the 6:45 p.m. and 9:05 p.m. sailings from Seattle and the 5:30 p.m. and 7:55 p.m. sailings from Bremerton.

The implementation of WINDS (Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division (WSF) Integrated Dispatch System) is now underway. WINDS is a Quintiq workforce planning solution configured to provide core business functions that comprise the dispatch and staffing of up to 1,800 employees at WSF. These functions include planning, scheduling, dispatch and tracking of deck crews, engine room crews and terminal employees. WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States and the largest ferry system in the world based on vehicles carried, transporting 23 million passengers and 11 million vehicles annually. The ferry system operates 22 vessels, providing 450 daily sailings on its ten routes. WSF operates and maintains 20 terminals offering service from Pt.

Beginning Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, the 34-car Hiyu will operate on the Point Defiance/Tahlequah route (Tacoma to south Vashon Island) for approximately six weeks while the 48-car Rhododendron is out of service for scheduled maintenance and inspection. To assist customers on this route, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division (WSF) will add an additional midday roundtrip sailing. The Hiyu will depart Point Defiance at 12:50 p.m. and Tahlequah at 1:15 p.m. Another option for customers on this route is to form a temporary carpool during the six-week service reduction. Carpools with at least three people get preferential loading over single occupancy vehicles.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division announced on Dec. 1 that it is awarding a contract to Todd Pacific Shipyards to build one 64-auto ferry. Todd Shipyards submitted a $65.5m bid last month to build one 64-auto ferry. With the contract award, the new ferry is on an 18-month construction timeline. "Our economy and the people who depend upon this ferry route will greatly benefit from this contract. This award is expected to generate nearly 200 jobs," said Gov. Chris Gregoire.

WSDOT Ferries Division took the next step today in the process to build new ferries for the Port Townsend/Keystone route. WSDOT opened bids on Nov. 13, on a contract to construct up to two new 64-car vessels based on the Island Home design. The formal bid opening was held at 11:00 a.m at Ferries Division headquarters in Seattle. WSDOT received one bid from Todd Pacific Shipyards. Bids were solicited for construction and delivery of one or two 64-auto ferries. Todd’s proposed bid price is $124,450,559 for two vessels and $65,487,328 for one vessel. The WSDOT engineer’s estimate is $95,943,865 for two vessels and $49,452,894 for one vessel.

The 188-car returned to service on the Edmonds/Kingston ferry route on Oct. 17. The joined the 188-car , returning the route to its usual vehicle capacity. The 144-car Hyak has been on the route since Oct. 7 while the was out for necessary repairs. The ’s return will free the Hyak to return to the Seattle/Bremerton route, so the 144-car Kaleetan can go into WSDOT’s Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for its required annual inspection. WSDOT Ferries Division removed the from service on Monday, Oct.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division will move the 90-car ferry Sealth this afternoon, Wednesday, August 6, to Anacortes to replace the 144-car Elwha while necessary repairs are made to the Elwha’s propulsion system. The Sealth has been on stand-by at the Ferries Division’s Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility. The Sealth is expected to arrive in Anacortes in time to make the scheduled 6:50 p.m. sailing to Lopez and . At 8:00 a.m., Aug. 6, the Elwha temporarily lost steering due to a problem with the propulsion control system. The vessel resumed use of the propulsion system on one end and was able to make it to Anacortes under its own power. The Elwha is out of service until later this week while repairs to the propulsion control cooling system are made.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division will begin operating its third vessel – Klahowya ­– with a biodiesel fuel blend on Saturday, July 19. The Klahowya will operate on a five percent blend (B5) of tallow-based biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel (95 percent). Tallow-based biodiesel is made from unused beef fat left over from the rendering process. The process of converting tallow into biodiesel is similar to the process used to convert plant oils such as soy and canola into biodiesel. The Klahowya fueling is part of the Biodiesel Research and Demonstration Project – a scientific pilot test of biodiesel in the marine environment.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division will move the 144-car Hyak to the Seattle/Bremerton route on Sunday evening, July 20, releasing the 188-car to return to the Edmonds/Kingston route. These vessel moves are necessary to fulfill ongoing maintenance and inspections throughout the fleet. This reduces the vehicle capacity on the route, but increases passenger seating. The 202-car will go in for a scheduled dry-docking from late July through mid-August. The 188-car will ends its two-week run on the Seattle/Bremerton route and return to the Edmonds/Kingston route. The 144-car Hyak will replace the on the route indefinitely.

Two vessels operated by WSDOT Ferries Division were diverted from service on their San Juan Islands routes around noon today, June 23, to assist a vessel that ran aground near . The Sealth and the both were asked by the U.S. Coast Guard to remain on the scene to assist in rescuing passengers. Both vessels returned to service just after 1:00 p.m. The , serving the inter-island route, is running approximately an hour behind schedule. The Anacortes/San Juans routes have returned to their normal schedule, but customers should anticipate heavier traffic and longer wait throughout the rest of the day. The 133-foot Adventuress, a schooner owned and operated by a local nonprofit organization, ran aground at approximately noon in , between Orcas and .