Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries News
Washington State Ferries Ridership Rose in 2025
A wave of close to 1 million more passengers pushed Washington State Ferriesā 2025 ridership to 20.1 million. Thatās a jump of 5% from 19.1 million the previous year.The return of full domestic service propelled the year-to-year increase in annual ridership. In June, the Seattle/Bremerton routeās second boat was restored, and the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth āTriangleā run resumed its daily three-boat schedule.
Trio of WSF Vessels Pulled from Service for Mechanical Issues
At Washington State Ferries, 2026 has started with a thud, one ferry each of the first three days of the year were pulled from service for mechanical problems. Here's a rundown.Walla Walla was removed from our Seattle/Bremerton route midday Thursday, Jan. 1. A propeller blade broke off. The cause is still unknown. We expect to learn more when the vessel enters emergency dry dock at Everett Ship Repair later this week. Both propellers will be replaced.
Washington State Ferry Suffers Engine Damage
Washington State Ferries (WSF) reports that an initial inspection after the 58-year-old Kaleetan was removed from service on Friday has confirmed significant engine damage to one of the engine cylinders.The vessel will remain unavailable for service during this week and possibly the following two. The damage occurred when one of the cylinder's four valves failed during operation.Operations, Planningā¦
ABB to Power Washington State Ferriesā First Hybrid-Electric Newbuilds
ABB has secured an order with Washington State Ferries (WSF), the United Statesā largest ferry operator, to supply and integrate hybrid-electric propulsion systems for two hybrid-electric 160-auto ferries.With the first two ships scheduled for delivery from Eastern Shipbuilding Group, one apiece in 2030 and 2031, the contract also includes an option for a third ferry. WSF has previously announced plans to build up to 16 ships by the end of 2040ā¦
Electrical Issue Takes WSF's Wenatchee Ferry Out of Service
Washington State Ferries reported that its 17-vessel service was dinged by the removal of the ferry Wenatchee, which has been taken out of service due to a mechanical issue involving one of its electrical subsystems discovered last week.According to WSF, the vesselās engine crew and maintenance teams are working to remove and replace the damaged equipment, which remains under warranty. The Wenatcheeā¦
WSF Ferry Suffers Engine Failure
The Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel Suquamish suffered a significant main engine casualty while operating on the Mukilteo/Clinton route last week causing the vessel to go out of service in the afternoon leaving one vessel in place to support the route.Unfortunately, this disruption occurred as many travelers were returning from one of the largest motorcycle gatherings in the Pacific Northwestā¦
WSF Ferry Wenatchee Suffers Electrical Issue
Sea trials on the Washington State Ferries (WSF) ferry Wenatchee (2,500 passengers, 200 vehicles) got off to a bad start last week, as WSF reports "investigation by our technicians and engine crew discovered last week the control system communication wires were creating intermittent instability which caused the drive motors to go offline."Invariably, problems crop up during most every vessel's shakedownā¦
Eastern Shipbuilding Gets Go-Ahead from WSF for Three Hybrid-Electric Ferries
Eastern Shipbuilding Group received the Notice to Proceed from Washington State Ferries (WSF) to build two with an option for an additional 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries for the State of Washington. This milestone follows the first competitive bid for ferry construction in more than 25 years for the nationās largest ferry system.āThis is an exciting milestone in bringing new hybrid-electric ferries to our fleetā¦
ESG Wins Bid to Build Washington State Hybrid Electric Ferries
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson announced he has selected the $714.5 million bid from Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group to build three new 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries. āWeāre restoring domestic service to pre-pandemic levels years ahead of schedule, improving crew retention, and soon will bring our first hybrid-electric vessel into service,ā Governor Ferguson said. āAfter careful consideration and conversations with legislative leadersā¦
WSF Hybrid-Electric Ferry Conversions Put on Ice
In a move to restore full domestic ferry service by summer, Governor Bob Ferguson said that Washington State Ferries (WSF) will delay the hybrid-electric conversion of two of the stateās largest ferries. The decision comes as WSF works to increase its operational fleet, ensuring that 18 vessels are in service simultaneously for the first time since 2019. Restoring full domestic ferry service requires 21 vessels, with at least 18 running at any given time.
Three Shipyards Expected to Compete for Washington State Ferries Vessel Construction Contracts
Three shipyards have expressed interest in building a long-awaited series of new hybrid-electric car and passenger vessels for Washington State Ferries (WSF).Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Freeland, Wash.; Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Fla. and Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia have sent pre-qualification packages after WSF earlier this year invited shipbuilders to bid, Washington State Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Steve Neveyā¦
Washington State Ferries Crew Rescues Boaters in Distress
Crewmembers aboard a Washington State Ferries vessel helped to rescue three boaters and a dog after their small vessel capsized near Bremerton, Wash.The crew aboard Jumbo-class ferry Walla Walla rescued a person and a dog near the Bremerton terminal Tuesday evening, according to WSF.The ferry crew treated the victim for hypothermia and chest pains before transferring care to emergency medical technicians on shore, the operator said.Two additional victims were saved by the U.S.
ABB Selected to Provide Propulsion for Washington State Ferries' New Hybrid Vessels
Washington State Ferries (WSF) has tapped ABB to design and supply the propulsion systems for its new series of five hybrid electric ferries. ABB was previously selected for the project in 2020 after the original build contract was awarded to Vigor, but the competitive bid process was relaunched following disagreements between WSF and the shipyard over price and other contract terms.In May of this year, WSF invited shipyards across the country to bid on construction for the five new ferries.
WSF Invites Bids to Convert Its Largest Ferries to Hybrid-electric Propulsion
Washington State Ferries (WSF) this week launched an invitation for bid to convert its three largest vessels to hybrid-electric propulsion.The conversion will remove two diesel generator sets from each of WSF's Jumbo Mark II ferries and replace them with batteries and associated support systems. The conversion will incorporate energy storage technology and rapid charging of the batteries from eachā¦
Washington State Ferries' Cathlamet Repaired After Terminal Allision
A Washington State Ferries (WSF) vessel has been repaired after it allided into the Fauntleroy dock in Seattle last summer.Everett, Wash. repair yard Everett Ship Repair (ESR) served as the prime contractor for emergency repairs to WSF's Cathlamet, and it subcontracted sister-company Nichols Brothers Boat Builders (NBBB) to construct a new steel pickle fork at its facility on Whidbey Island. A pickleā¦
Furuno Delivers Chart Radars for Washington State Ferries' Issaquah
Marine electronics company Furuno said it has delivered a suite of upgrade electronics for Washington State Ferries' Issaquah.Built in 1979, Issaquah received a newly upgraded helm featuring four Furuno FAR3220NXTBB Chart Radars, two on each end of the vessel. These Black Box, Solid-State Chart Radars provide enhanced target detection with a refined user interface and new, aerodynamic antennas, as well as a host of new and improved featuresā¦
Passenger Vessel Sector Faces Winding Path Back to āNormalā
The year just ended, 2021, might be described as being about ātrying to get back to normalā, across the entire transportation spectrum, two years into the pandemic. During this time, the decarbonization and electrification waves have swept across maritime passenger transport. The passenger side of the business is dependent on multiple funding sources; increasingly, this money will be driven by environmental and social considerations.The long-awaited funding of āinfrastructureā-related projectsā¦
Washington State Ferries' Largest Vessel Enters Drydock
Washington State Ferries' (WSF) Jumbo Mark II class ferry Wenatchee, the largest in the WSF fleet, entered drydock at Everett Ship Repair, LLC (ESR) on November 10.The vessel is 460ā x 90ā with a docking displacement of 4675 LT. ESRās drydock, the Faithful Servant has underwent improvements to expand its capabilities, and can now service vessels up to 460ā x 100ā with drafts up to 32ā, including allā¦
ABB to Supply Hybrid-electric Propulsion for WSF Newbuilds
U.S. shipbuilding company Vigor has selected ABB to supply the hybrid-electric propulsion and energy storage systems for the newest additions to the Washington State Ferry fleet, setting the largest U.S. ferry system on course to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel use.The new Olympic Class ferries, each with a capacity of 144 cars and 1,500 passengers, with the planned addition of charging capability at terminals, would reduce fuel consumption by up to 95%.
Washington Gets Funds for Green Ferries
Washington State Ferries will begin the process of converting three Jumbo Mark II vessels from diesel to hybrid-electric power.The government agency that operatesā¦
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