David Moseley News

A review of the ferry industry’s latest challenges and opportunities attracted a record 340 delegates to Vancouver last week for the 39th annual Interferry conference. The global trade association event exposed a string of concerns – notably over punitive safety and environmental regulations – but also highlighted the financial potential of new routes, onboard shopping incentives and the use of LNG fuel. Alongside sessions on the future of the industry, Canada-based CEO Len Roueche outlined a vision for maintaining Interferry’s influential lobbying role among politicians and regulators.

State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson today named Capt. George A. Capacci interim assistant secretary in charge of the Ferries Division for the Washington State Department of Transportation. Capacci will lead the ferry system until a permanent assistant secretary is selected. WSDOT will conduct a nationwide search to find the best replacement for outgoing Assistant Secretary David Moseley who resigned effective April 15. Capacci joined Washington State Ferries in 2009 as regional port captain and was promoted to deputy chief of operations and construction for ferries in 2010. In his current position, he is responsible for overseeing ferry operations, vessel maintenance and preservation and terminal engineering.

State elected, transportation and manufacturing leaders were on hand today to celebrate the christening of the state’s first 144-car Olympic Class ferry, the M/V Tokitae, at Vigor Industrial’s shipyard in Seattle. Lynn Peterson, Washington’s Secretary of Transportation, served as the ship’s sponsor and broke a bottle to christen the new ferry before a crowd of more than 200 people. Speakers at the ceremony explained that the vessels will ensure safe, reliable ferry service, save taxpayers money and provide jobs for the state’s maritime workforce.

Washington Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson issued a statement regarding the resignation of Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries David Moseley. Peterson's comments are as follows. After six years of service, Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries David Moseley has announced his plans to resign on April 15. David can be proud of his distinguished service at WSF and the many accomplishments he has made while at the helm of the ferry system. I thank him for his contributions and leadership in a position that has tremendous challenges and issues.

During the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2014, held January 18-21 in Houston, members of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) elected Terri Bernstein, BB Riverboats Newport, Ky., as PVA President for 2014. Dave Anderson, Fire Island Ferries, Inc., Bay Shore, N.Y. Margo Marks, Beaver Island Boat Company, Charlevoix, Mich. Captain Terri Bernstein is Vice President of Operations of BB Riverboats in Newport, Ky. This third-generation, family-owned business is the oldest riverboat company in the Greater Cincinnati Ohio Region.

Passengers traveling on the Washington State Ferries Sunday, Feb. 2, will be boarding the “M/V Russell Wilson” or crossing Puget Sound on the “M/V Richard Sherman” as Gov. Jay Inslee has directed the vessels be named in honor of the Seattle Seahawks. “We couldn’t be more proud of our Seahawks as they represent our state in the Super Bowl,” said Inslee. The team has counted on a strong running game to carve out a path to victory. Now fans will be able to ride the “M/V Marshawn Lynch” and go #Beastmode roundtrip from the Kitsap Peninsula.

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 Ferries' (WSF) team gears up to head for meetings with ferry-served communities. With the 2013-2015 transportation budget signed, Washington State Ferries will meet the public to discuss the implications of the budget, as well as new vessel construction progress, ferry system performance measures, liquefied natural gas as a source of fuel, and route-specific issues. "“I look forward to visiting the communities and hearing directly from our riders on the issues that affect their everyday travels,”" said David Moseley, WSDOT assistant secretary, ferries division.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee officially kicked off the construction of M/V Samish, the state’s newest 144-car ferry, by making the first weld on the vessel at Vigor Industrial’s Seattle shipyard Friday. Earlier in the week US Fab, the Vigor company building the ferries, hit a major project milestone on the first vessel, the M/V Tokitae, when the company successfully transferred the 1110-ton superstructure onto the hull. Joined by state transportation officials, community leaders…

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.

During the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2013, held February 16 - 19, in Jacksonville, FL, members of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) elected Carolyn Horgan, Blue & Gold Fleet, San Francisco, CA, as PVA President for 2013. Carolyn Horgan is President of Blue and Gold Fleet in San Francisco, CA. Blue & Gold operates 19 vessels in ferry and excursion routes in the Bay Area. The company is also under contract to the Water Emergency Transportation Authority to operate vessels in the Alameda, Oakland, Vallejo and South San Francisco ferry services.

“WSF burns more than 17 million gallons of ultra-low sulfur diesel each year – and it’s our fastest growing operating expense. LNG has the potential to significantly reduce emissions and the cost of fuel,” said Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Assistant Secretary David Moseley. LNG as a fuel is a promising, but new technology. To ensure that the safety, security and operational challenges of such a move is handled in a responsible manner, Washington State Ferries has partnered with DNV…

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.

Third 64-car ferry joins state fleet three months ahead of schedule. There must be something magic about the number three. Today, Vigor Industrial and its U.S. Fab shipbuilding division delivered the third of three new Washington state ferries, the 64-car Kennewick, three months ahead of schedule. “This is a major milestone in our vessel replacement program,” said Assistant Secretary David Moseley. “The Kwa-di Tabil class is now complete. The Kwa-di Tabil construction supported more than 360 family-wage jobs during the past two years at Seattle’s Harbor Island shipyard…

Receive Green Light to Begin Building Another. Shipbuilding to Generate More Than 500 Jobs at Two Dozen State Firms. One completed, one to begin. Even as VIGOR Industrial this week delivered the final new 64-car ferry to Washington State Ferries, the company’s US Fab shipbuilding division received a green light from the state to begin constructing the system’s next vessel. On Monday, the companies delivered the state’s newest ferry, Kennewick, to WSF, three months ahead of schedule.

The first arc welds on the keel of Washington’s new 144-car ferry will be made later this month by the leaders of the state Legislature transportation committees, Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen of Camano Island and Rep. Judy Clibborn of Mercer Island. The two legislators will join Washington State Ferries officials and ship workers at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, March 29, to commemorate the moment when the vessel’s keel is laid in place at Vigor Industrial’s Harbor Island shipyard in Seattle. Keel laying, the maritime equivalent of placing a cornerstone, is a traditional milestone in ship building.

Construction will begin in December on a second 144-car ferry. The Ferries Division of the Washington State Department of Transportation and shipbuilder Vigor Industrial signed papers this morning to make the second new vessel a reality for customers of the state ferry system. “This has been a tremendous event for Washington state and our ferry system,” said David Moseley, assistant transportation secretary, Ferries Division. “This is another important step toward revitalizing our aging fleet. The Legislature funded a second 144-car ferry during the last session.

Construction will begin in December on a second 144-car ferry. The Ferries Division of the Washington State Department of Transportation and shipbuilder Vigor Industrial signed papers this morning to make the second new vessel a reality for customers of the state ferry system. “This has been a tremendous event for Washington state and our ferry system,” said David Moseley, assistant transportation secretary, Ferries Division. “This is another important step toward revitalizing our aging fleet. The Legislature funded a second 144-car ferry during the last session.

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.

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.