WSF Weekly Report | Kaleetan remains out of service; online community meetings coming up; sea level prepardness

||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

A message from Steve

With good reason, in my communications over the last few weeks I have been openly upbeat about our performance metrics. We are seeing real momentum. It is important, though, to acknowledge the challenges that continue to test our system. On Friday, one of the four ferries assigned to our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route was out of service all day with a mechanical issue. Late that evening, a second vessel had an engine failure. With the Interisland boat already tied up for the night, this left only one of the route’s four ferries operating, which meant we did not have the capacity to move everyone who needed to travel from Anacortes to the islands on the last sailing. Our vessel engineering teams responded quickly in both cases to begin repairs immediately, but Kaleetan remains out of service.

Kaleetan suffered significant engine damage on Friday when one of the four valves in a cylinder failed during operation. Emergency repairs at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes are expected to take at least a week. New vehicle reservations for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route are blocked through Dec. 19. People who have reservations will be loaded on a first-come, first-served basis. Meanwhile, we expedited work on Tillikum this week at our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility. We plan to send it to Anacortes this evening so we can restore the route’s fourth vessel tomorrow.

This disruption highlights the main challenge we face. We need new boats. We do not have enough boats to move them around strategically when unplanned breakdowns occur. The average age of our fleet is 35 years. The two ferries that had unplanned maintenance issues on Friday are 46 and 58 years old. Our maintenance and preservation teams do a fantastic job keeping these complex vessels running. Most commercial ship owners consider their ships past their useful life at around 30 years.

Until Kaleetan returns to service, our Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route will remain on its two-boat schedule. Unfortunately, this will be longer than our original one-week estimate. This follows our Service Contingency Plan, which outlines what we do when we don’t have enough vessels available for service systemwide.

There are many challenges maintaining older boats. These ferries operate in salt water, around the clock, with very little downtime, making hundreds of landings a week. Their systems become obsolete, and parts are hard to find. In some cases, we have to manufacture parts ourselves because the original equipment manufacturers are long out of business. Without the dedication of our maintenance and preservation teams, many of our older vessels would already have been decommissioned.

Understanding it is imperative we increase the fleet from 21 to 24 vessels, Gov. Bob Ferguson and legislative leadership have provided funding for three new ferries. The first two are already under contract. We expect our first new boat to arrive in 2030. As those new boats are delivered, we also need to bring down the average age of the fleet, a path I’ll be working on with state leaders.

You will continue to hear my excitement about the course we’re on while being clear-eyed about our challenges. I know that by working together with a focus on Boats Communities Trust, we have a bright future.

Mark your calendar: Online community meetings Wednesday, Jan. 21

Here’s an early heads up so you can save the date for our online community meetings on Wednesday, Jan. 21. This is your chance to share feedback and ask us questions. Each meeting will start with a short presentation that looks back at 2025 and our priorities for 2026. We will then outline the latest on our new vessel construction and the terminal upgrades needed for charging. We’ll also provide updates on our Service Contingency Plan and workforce development efforts, including how our employees are Turning the Tide. You’ll also hear highlights on our current budget situation and what to expect in the 2026 legislative session. Most of the time will be dedicated to answering questions. You must register ahead of time to attend the Zoom meetings at noon or 6 p.m. Both sessions will cover the same information. If you want to send a question or comment ahead of time, feel free to email us. Can’t make it? Recordings will be posted on our community participation page on Thursday, Jan. 22, the day after the meetings.

Reminder: Mukilteo/Clinton route midday closures early next year

Don’t forget, construction work will affect service on our Mukilteo/Clinton route in January and February. We plan to suspend service for four hours from midmorning to early afternoon on nine weekdays. On those dates, the last morning sailings will be 8:30 a.m. from Clinton and 9 a.m. from Mukilteo. Service will resume at 1 p.m. from Clinton and 1:30 p.m. from Mukilteo. Crews will use this time to make critical repairs to an in-water structure at Mukilteo terminal. Late-night service will also be adjusted on select days, with the final roundtrips of the evening canceled.

Mukilteo terminal’s west wing wall is being repaired and repositioned after being damaged in 2022. These updates will help keep the in-water structure safe and strong for years to come.

First vendor at Colman Dock nearing opening

We’re excited to announce the first of several vendors at Colman Dock will open later this month. Puget Sound Traders will be in the northeast corner on the Bainbridge turnstiles side of the terminal building. It uses Amazon’s “just walk out” technology. That means you can grab what you need and go – no checkout needed. And this is just the start. Over the next few months, we’ll add more dining and retail options. These will include P.S. Perks Espresso & Coffee, Kathmandu MoMoCha, Knot’s Landing pretzels and a new smoothie concept. With street-level and pop-up retail spaces still available, we’re looking at ways to bring even more convenience and choices to the terminal.

Rendering of Puget Sound Traders.

Connecting with the community on sea-level rise preparedness

On Monday, we participated in a walk-and-talk on Bainbridge Island focused on the risks of rising sea levels and what we can do to prepare and respond. The morning’s king tides showed what could happen at the beach next to our terminal. EcoAdapt hosted the event. They are the same folks behind the sea-level rise infographics at our Bainbridge and Bremerton terminals. Our Biology Program Lead Adrienne Stutes and Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility General Manager Tim Clancy both spoke during the walk. High schoolers from Hyla School, members of the Bainbridge Island Watershed Council and city of Bainbridge Island officials also joined. The students asked great questions and were very interested. Events like this help us connect with the community and support learning about protecting our waterways.

During one of the walk’s stops at our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility, General Manager Tim Clancy discusses the effects of sea-level rise and king tides on our infrastructure there during Monday’s walk and talk event.

Holiday traditions on our Mukilteo/Clinton route

Every holiday season, our Mukilteo/Clinton route is full of heartwarming traditions. One of these traditions involves elementary students from the South Whidbey School District. They make stars with notes of gratitude, hope, and positivity. These stars are placed aboard our ferry Tokitae to share with riders and the community. On Monday, we were happy to host the students and celebrate this tradition. Another holiday custom on that boat is the “giving tree.” But this year, both of the route’s ferries and terminals have an evergreen on display. They invite people to donate gifts for children as part of The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program. We are very grateful to Tokitae Staff Capt. and Commodore Curtis Larson and Staff Chief Engineer Brady Ferguson, along with all our employees. Their hard work helps bring holiday traditions to life across our system every year. And thank you to the communities we serve for their generosity and care, and for helping make the season brighter for everyone.

South Whidbey School District students and chaperones aboard Tokitae Monday, admiring their handmade stars. The old helm from our retired ferry Elwha that is also seen is a recent addition imagined and built by our Tokitae engine room crews.

This year’s giving tree aboard Tokitae features a mischievous squirrel topper. It’s a playful nod to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

Sailing stats for week of Dec. 1-7

For the week of Dec. 1-7, we completed 96.6% of our 3,059 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 106 cancellations, 44 were due to vessel-related issues, 29 because of other miscellaneous reasons, 19 for tidal currents, 12 due to crewing and two because of weather.

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Dec. 2-8, 2024), we completed 99.8% of our 2,789 scheduled sailings. Of the six cancellations that week, two were for vessel-related issues, two due to schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers) and two because of tidal currents. 

Customer kudos

“… I will tell you I have left so many items on your guys ferry coming from Bainbridge Island to Seattle or vice versa. My most recent leave behind was my $250 pair glasses. Let me just tell you your staff is off the charts when it comes to customer service and helping people that are really in a mind muffle over their forgetfulness. Your people got on the walkie-talkies and in 15 minutes my glasses were on shore with me. Last year y’all did it for a Starbucks cup! I never drive around anymore because my experience on the ferries even when I have to wait sometimes for a while to get on is never a bad one. …”

-Seattle/Bainbridge route customer