Washington State Ferries 2025 Year in Review

||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

Washington State Ferries made significant headway in 2025. We reached notable operational milestones by delivering more dependable service. We also unveiled North America’s largest hybrid-electric vessel and strengthened our long-term future with plans to build new boats. Ride with us as we look back at a year of growth at WSF in our 2025 Year in Review (PDF 557KB). Boats Communities Trust We are building a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. When our employees feel supported, we can better serve the communities that rely on us. Our work is guided by three strategic priorities: Service Excellence, Empowered People and Improved Communication. Along with our values – serve, grow, trust, respect and navigate – these priorities help create a positive culture. Together, they act like a compass, guiding our decisions and actions. This approach helps us work toward our ultimate goal of building Boats Communities Trust.

Boats

Increased service, increased ridership

We returned to full domestic service in the summer, years ahead of earlier projections. At the direction, and with the support of Gov. Bob Ferguson, we added service on three routes and carried 20 million customers, the most since 2019. In 2025, we operated roughly 7,000 additional sailings and recorded about 400 fewer cancellations compared to the prior year. Canceled sailings due to crewing dropped by almost 70%. These gains reflect our ongoing efforts to build our workforce and stabilize our operations.

Wenatchee returns

We unveiled the largest hybrid-electric passenger ferry in North America in July. The 27-year-old Wenatchee now has a modern propulsion system, new ship controls and hybrid-electric power. This was an engineering challenge few have attempted on a vessel of this size. Crews removed two locomotive-size diesel engines. They also added two battery rooms and 864 batteries capable of 5.7 megawatt hours of energy storage. In time, the vessel will use 20% less fuel, providing a cleaner, quieter and more reliable ride on our Seattle/Bainbridge Island route. Upgrading Wenatchee is expected to add decades to its useful life in the fleet.

Modernizing an aging fleet

We are working with Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a Florida-based company, to build the first of three new hybrid-electric ferries. The bid for the three boats was $714.5 million, much lower than competing bids, with the first vessel expected in 2030. The design and construction of new hybrid-electric ferries is the fastest and lowest lifecycle cost solution to sustain and grow the ferry fleet. Hybrid-electric vessels will be even more effective when they can recharge at our terminals. To charge these boats, we’re working to electrify our terminals, starting with Seattle’s Colman Dock followed by our Clinton terminal.

Communities

Making memories on board

We are woven into the fabric of the Pacific Northwest community. Beyond transporting people, goods and pets, we work to make ferry rides a memorable experience. Local artist Wayne Hussey donated a LEGO model of our ferry Issaquah and our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility staff built a case and installed it on board. In the Tokitae passenger cabin, engine room crew installed a ship’s helm from the retired Elwha. This gives passengers a chance to see and feel what it’s like to navigate a ferry. We also hosted a first birthday party for baby Arlo aboard Samish. Arlo was born on board that ferry in August 2024.

Celebrating our legacy

To honor the region’s maritime heritage, we partnered with the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League. We provided a historic engine order telegraph from the retired ferry Hyak, which is now featured during pregame festivities at Climate Pledge Arena. It joins the vessel’s whistle that we previously supplied.

In February, we added Instagram to our suite of social media accounts. This gives us another format to share passenger information and hear from our customers. The account already has over 27,000 followers in its first year.

We partnered with ORCA on a limited-edition card that features their mascot, Boop, on a ferry. We have held contests and giveaways to celebrate this one-of-a-kind card that helps connect our communities.

Touring the Sound

Education and outreach were a major focus in 2025. We hosted more tours than ever before, welcoming students, job seekers and community groups on board our vessels. With more than 40 tours throughout the year, participants gained an inside look at ferry operations and the day-to-day work of our crews. These tours help spark interest in maritime careers and build awareness of what it takes to keep our ferry system running.

Trust

Empowering the next generation of mariners

Building trust means preparing our workforce for the future. We continue to hire and train our next generation of captains, mates, chief engineers and oilers. A number of our licensed deck officers are reaching retirement eligible age. We are having success with pathways that help our employees receive necessary training and establish a pathway to increase responsibilities and growth. These include our AB-to-Mate Credentialing, Pilotage and Maritime Apprenticeship Scholarship programs. We saw more than 150 employees receive vital credentials to work on or operate throughout the fleet. In the engine room, we hired interns in partnership with the Port of Seattle’s Youth Maritime Career Launch. We also created a Wiper Boot Camp to help build entry level skills for those starting their careers in a maritime-related
job.

On the land side, we launched a Terminal Career Development Program in March where we promoted several employees to supervisor levels. Four trade shops at our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility – Sheet Metal, Pipefitting, Electrical and Welding – have apprenticeship programs. This allowed us to develop more skilled workers to help make our service more reliable every day.

We partnered again with Maritime High School and Northwest Maritime for Classroom on the Water. This is a fully immersive program bringing students on board our vessels to learn about working at WSF providing real-world experience in the maritime environment. In March, we hosted our annual career day event at Eagle Harbor bringing over 130 students from nearly a dozen area schools to learn more about WSF.

Professional growth opportunities

We provide career development and training programs to sustain our workforce and fill highly skilled positions needed to keep our boats running. Our Training Department supports employees across the fleet with a wide range of courses and new programs. Core courses include New Employee Orientation, Basic First Aid and Vessel Emergency Response Training. We launched or tested several new programs, like our first Engine Officer Administration course. We also added new orientation sessions for Eagle Harbor staff and strengthened training for Deck Officers through Electronic Chart Display & Information Systems/Furuno instruction.

Employee retention has been a focus in making WSF a better place to work. In the last three years, we have seen an 11% decrease in staff turnover rates. Fewer than 8% of our employees left in 2025, a tremendous sign that staff want to work here.

Making transparency a priority

In May, we updated our Service Contingency Plan to reflect our increased service levels. The plan outlines how we maintain service until new boats are delivered. It also explains how we respond when a ferry is sidelined due to unplanned mechanical issues or entanglements with crab pot lines, and when a terminal is shut down due to electrical issues or law enforcement activity. Transparency remains central to our approach. We are committed to clearly communicating challenges and sharing how we plan to provide as much service as possible each day.

Looking ahead to 2026

As we sail into 2026, our focus remains on the reliability and long-term stability of our system. That means a continued investment in new boats, vessel upgrades, planned maintenance and preservation. It also means a sustained effort in recruiting, training and retaining our workforce. We are committed to serving our customers and communities with safe, reliable and memorable experiences for generations to come.