WSF Weekly Report | Vessel repairs and visitors galore to see how WSF operates

||| FROM PATTY RUBSTELLO for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES |||

Update on unplanned vessel repairs

Work on Walla Walla is going well, and we expect the ferry to be back in service in the next month. When it’s ready, we plan to return the vessel to our Seattle/Bremerton route, allowing Kaleetan to move to our Edmonds/Kingston run and restore two-boat service there. A damaged propeller put Walla Walla out of commission in September. Unplanned repairs took longer than expected as we discovered additional damage to a second propeller, and we encountered shipyard constraints and scheduling. However, we were able to combine the propeller work with scheduled maintenance in drydock that would have taken the ferry out of service for a couple months early next year. That is no longer needed.

Spokane has been the only ferry on our Edmonds/Kingston route for more than a month. Unplanned repairs on two of our vessels left us with just 14 available boats to operate a system that needs 15 to run our current sailing schedules.

Chimacum, our other ferry out for unplanned repairs, should also be back soon. That vessel was pulled from service in October after one of its main engines failed, requiring an overhaul. The return of these two boats will allow us to have a ferry to fill in if another vessel requires unplanned repairs and gives us more breathing room to conduct much-needed scheduled maintenance on our fleet during the slower winter season.

Please understand that these plans are the current snapshot in time and could change depending on several factors, like changes in time needed for the current repairs to these ferries or additional vessels needing unplanned maintenance. That is why we normally don’t provide such details on boats returning to service, but we know we’re in a difficult situation right now without enough ferries to operate our current schedules, and I wanted to provide an update on where we stand and what we plan to do.

Federal grant to refurbish Issaquah-class ferries

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration recently awarded us with $4.8 million to revamp the passenger areas of our six Issaquah-class vessels. Cathlamet, Chelan, Issaquah, Kitsap, Kittitas, and Sealth were built from 1979 through 1982. The funding will extend the useful life of the aging boats for another five to ten years while new ferries are built. Last week, the FTA announced 13 grants totaling more than $220 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to ferry systems across the country. We have received more than $50 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over the past two years.

Cathlamet is one of six Issaquah-class ferries that will undergo passenger area upgrades thanks to a $4.8 million federal grant.

Shipbuilder search begins for new hybrid-electric ferries

In our quest to build new vessels, we issued a Request for Information this week to the shipbuilding industry across the country as part of our effort to contract for five hybrid-electric Olympic-class ferries. Responses are due in January and will provide critical information for the Invitation for Bid that will be issued in spring 2024. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a new law (PDF 134KB) that allows us to solicit bids nationwide when building new boats. Transitioning to a hybrid-electric fleet is necessary to reduce emissions, ensure resiliency and reduce operations and maintenance costs. 

Latest renderings of the hybrid-electric Olympic-class vessel design that will go out for bid in spring 2024.

Out in the fleet on our Seattle/Bremerton route

Vessel crews and terminal staff are our main eyes and ears when it comes to customer feedback. That’s why it’s important for our executive team to spend time out in the fleet on a regular basis. The team is divided into three smaller groups that consistently visit our ferries and terminals to talk to our frontline workers. Last week, Vessel Engineering and Maintenance Director Richard Servance, Safety and Security Systems Director George Curt Hattell and I spent time on our Seattle/Bremerton route hearing firsthand from our coworkers. Every time I’m out in the fleet, I learn so many new things about what it takes to keep our system running 24/7, 365 days a year!

Vessel Engineering and Maintenance Director Richard Servance, Safety and Security Systems Director George Curt Hattell and me with a few of our deck crew colleagues aboard Kaleetan.

With the engine room crew of Kaleetan and a couple members of our executive team during a regular fleet visit last week.

High schoolers explore Kaleetan, talk to crewmembers

With today’s youth key in building our workforce and maintaining it for years to come, we’ve ramped up our outreach efforts to high schoolers. We welcomed students from Tulalip Heritage High School aboard Kaleetan last week to check out the wheelhouse and engine room during a roundtrip sailing between Seattle and Bremerton. Thanks to the crewmembers for engaging with them and answering their questions! Also on hand for the tour were members of Core Plus Maritime, which we recently partnered with to help us reach students within the communities we serve. We plan to host many more tours like this in our effort to share potential maritime careers with today’s youth.

The high schoolers had a chance to try on firefighting gear and self-contained breathing apparatus during the tour.

Community Advisory Group tours Fauntleroy terminal

The Community Advisory Group for our Fauntleroy terminal replacement project braved the wet weather Tuesday on a visit to the aging and seismically vulnerable dock. Our four Maritime High School project interns were also on hand for the tour. Terminal Supervisor Lisa Lennon and members of the project team spoke to the group and showed them what the footprint would be for the various alternatives under consideration for the new dock.

Our Fauntleroy terminal replacement project Community Advisory Group on the beach just north of the dock during a tour of the facility.

Construction lawyers tour Colman Dock

Construction attorneys from the Washington State Bar Association recently toured our newly renovated Colman Dock. Deputy Director of Terminal Engineering Bryant Bullamore and Project Engineer Alan Johnson guided the visit, which focused on the design and construction of the project at our Seattle terminal. More than 20 lawyers attended, touring the terminal and new Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Construction attorneys from the Washington State Bar Association pose for a group photo at Seattle’s Colman Dock.

Portion of SR 525 Mukilteo terminal vehicle holding lane closed overnight Tuesday, Dec. 12-13

The vehicle holding lane just outside our Mukilteo terminal will be closed from 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, through 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13. This is the final lane closure for a sidewalk widening project along the northbound lanes of State Route 525/Mukilteo Speedway on the bridge over the railroad tracks. Because crews will be lane striping and pigment sealing, the work is weather dependent.

The sidewalk along the northbound lanes of SR 525 near our Mukilteo terminal was recently widened by 4 feet.