WSF Weekly Report | Visiting Staten Island crew; developing future leaders

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

A message from Steve

Two years ago this week I stepped into the role of leading Washington State Ferries. It has been one of the most challenging and meaningful chapters of my career. When I started, our system was still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. We were facing crew shortages, vessel maintenance backlogs and service levels were not where any of us wanted them to be. From the beginning, our focus has been simple: Service Excellence, Improved Communication and Empowered People. These priorities guide the work we are doing to restore service, rebuild our workforce and earn back the trust of the communities who rely on our ferries every day. Customers felt those challenges too, and I know how frustrating that has been. While we’ve made real progress, there is still more work ahead.

Our dedicated employees guide us forward. Every improvement, every restored route and every connection to our communities comes from our 2,000+ committed team members working together.

Coming from the maritime industry, I thought I understood complex operations. What these past two years have taught me is that leading Washington State Ferries requires both an understanding of marine operations and a different kind of leadership. It takes an appreciation for the legislative process and strong partnerships with the governor, Legislature and communities we serve. I’ve learned a great deal over the past two years, and those lessons are helping us build a stronger future for Washington State Ferries.

I’m proud of the progress our teams have made together. We are bringing new mariners into the system through apprenticeships and training programs, investing in maintaining and modernizing our fleet and steadily restoring service across the system. None of this happens because of one person. It happens because hundreds of dedicated employees show up every day committed to keeping boats running and communities connected. Looking ahead, our focus remains the same: strengthening our workforce, maintaining the vessels we have today and building the ferries that will keep Washington’s communities connected for decades to come. Boats. Communities. Trust. That’s what we’re working toward every day.

Bridging coasts to build our future maritime workforce

This week, members of our workforce outreach team traveled to New York to connect with maritime partners and future mariners. One day was spent with Staten Island Ferry employees. They toured a vessel and their ferry maintenance facility, which is similar in many ways to ours at Eagle Harbor. Conversations focused on pathways into maritime careers and the shared opportunities and pressures ferry systems face as we plan for the future. The other day was spent at State University of New York Maritime College. They say it was inspiring to meet with students. Many are graduating with licenses and technical training for vessel operations, engineering and maritime logistics. These skills translate directly into careers with us. They had several conversations with students who were excited to learn about working in Washington, especially the balance our system offers between a maritime career and a civilian work-life schedule. Their engagement and enthusiasm showed that the future of the maritime workforce is bright.

Workforce Outreach Specialist Adam Dahl and Recruiter Renee Mason at the SUNY Maritime College Career Fair yesterday.

Adam and Renee with New York City Department of Transportation Ferry Division’s Director of Administration Jean James and Staten Island Ferry Personnel Coordinator JoAnn Olsson.

Developing our future leaders of the fleet

One of the many ways we’re investing in our next generation of licensed deck officers is through our New Mate Orientation program. Capt. Scott Schrader and Licensed Deck Workforce Development Lead Devon Cory have spent countless hours making this training challenging and measurable. We have nine employees currently participating in this six-week course. They develop skills in our radar lab, out in the fleet, in simulators, and through administrative duties like leadership, payroll and paperwork. Trainees also practice firefighting, rescue techniques and first aid. They must also complete field assessments and drills to make sure they are ready for all the responsibilities of a mate. Those who pass the final assessment will move on to interviews later this month. Successful candidates will then be eligible to serve as licensed mates. By supporting our crew members as they advance, we strengthen staffing, boosting reliability across our fleet.

Chief Mates John Springer and Chloe Cox lead New Mate Orientation trainees and ordinary seafarers in how to use emergency tow gear to respond when there’s another vessel in distress.

Sailing stats for week of March 2-8

For the week of March 2-8, our systemwide on-time performance (sailings that left within 10 minutes of their scheduled departure) was 94.6%. By comparison, it was 92.1% during a similar week last year (March 3-9, 2025). To view our on-time performance by month going back to 2017, visit our on-time performance reports page.

Customer kudos

“Three cheers for the ever-cheerful Steve (Worthley, terminal employee), Coupeville ferry dock WSF professional, who uplifts everyone in his vicinity. Today, after my husband was aboard without the hat needed to shield a facial chemotherapy medicine, Steve ran the hat up the ramp and handed it to my husband on the car deck just in time. Special thanks and perennial appreciation to Steve!”

-Port Townsend/Coupeville route customer