WSF Weekly Report | Apprenticeship graduates; charging vessels

||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON StATE FERRIES |||

A message from Steve

Today marks a proud and meaningful moment in my career. I had the honor of celebrating the first graduates of our licensed deck officer apprenticeship program. This scholarship means a lot to me. When I finished high school in England, Chevron sponsored me in a maritime deck officer apprenticeship. That chance changed my life. Without it, I would not be where I am today. Every maritime organization I worked for after that had a similar program. They could point to a group and say, “Those are our future captains.” When I came to Washington State Ferries, I was surprised we didn’t have that kind of pathway. So, I worked closely with the governor and the Legislature to help create one because growing our own talent is the best way to build a strong future.

At today’s celebration with our first group of apprentices to graduate and Assistant Secretary John Vezina. Watch a video on what some of them had to say about the two-year program when they were just getting started in 2024.

We made that vision real by partnering with the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies. Together, we launched a two-year apprentice program designed just for WSF. The program trains people with no maritime experience to become mates and captains, which are our most needed deck positions. Each scholarship covers full tuition, worth more than $100,000. It also includes a $200 per day stipend while apprentices gain sea time on our ferries. Today, we can proudly point to our first group of scholarship graduates and say, “Those are our future captains.” And this is just the beginning. Our second class will finish in early 2027, and we will start recruiting our third class in the coming months. Just as my apprenticeship opened doors for me, I look forward to watching these graduates grow into future mates, captains and maritime leaders.

Vessel charging system selected for hybrid ferries

We’ve reached another important milestone in building a cleaner ferry system. We recently selected a vessel charging system for our hybrid-electric ferries. This system will deliver shore power to the boats so they can charge their batteries while docked. Charging will take place during regular terminal stops. It will fit within our normal 20-minute loading and unloading time. We are now finalizing the design with our vendor, Stemmann-Technik, a Wabtec company and a global leader in energy transfer systems. Up to 16 terminals will use this system. That gives our ferries more flexibility and helps keep service reliable. To learn more about what’s next, read our recent blog post.

Our vessel charging system is expected to use an overhead arm near the terminal.

Reminder: 3% card payment recovery fee begins Sunday

Starting in three days on Sunday, March 1, a 3% cost recovery surcharge will be added to all credit and debit card purchases. The Washington State Legislature directed this change (RCW 47.60.860) so the state can recover the cost of processing card payments. The 3% recovery fee applies to all in-person, kiosk and online fare purchases, including single-ride, multi-ride and ReValue tickets. It also covers no-show fees for vehicle reservations and carpool and vanpool permits. The cost recovery surcharge does not apply to fees for memorial services, annual business accounts or promotional activities like tabletops and film or photo shoots. Customers can avoid the recovery fee by paying with cash or by using a preloaded ORCA card. If a card transaction is refunded, the 3% surcharge will also be refunded. See our ticket information page for a full list of accepted payment options.

Sailing stats for week of Feb. 16-22

We are now sharing on-time performance data to help our customers better understand how our system is running. For the week of Feb. 16-22, our systemwide on-time performance (sailings that left within 10 minutes of their scheduled departure) was 96.1%. By comparison, it was 92% during a similar week last year (Feb. 17-23, 2025). To view our on-time performance by month going back to 2017, visit our on-time performance reports page.

Customer kudos

“ON February 10th, I was in line in Port Townsend for the 12:30 ferry when I accidentally locked my keys in my vehicle. I went to the terminal office and was immediately offered assistance. A very nice woman (Terminal Supervisor Jennie Buswell) offered me what tools they had to open a locked vehicle. Not only that, the rest of the terminal crew including the ticket taker (William Seim), jumped in to help. When the ferry arrived, part of the deck hands (Able-Bodied Seafarers Jake Stuber and Cody Hewitt) brought other tools and even the crew from Eagle Harbor pitched in. Even though they tried, the ticket taker was kind enough to call a locksmith. I just want to make sure they are recognised for their taking the time to help. They have reinforced my belief that Washington Stare Ferry system was, is and always will be the best in the world. Thank you and kudos to the entire PT crew and the hands from the (Kennewick).”

-Port Townsend/Coupeville route customer