WSF Weekly Update | Contract signed for 3 new ferries; pets onboard policy trialed; best kudo ever

||| FROM JOHN VEZINA for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| 

A message from John

When we do essential maintenance on our system, the impacts can be challenging for our customers. We take our job as an essential connection for the communities we serve very seriously. We know that even a small service disruption can be frustrating. That’s why, when work may affect operations, we try to share information as early as possible. We want our customers to plan their trips with confidence.

Vital work on the west wing wall at our Mukilteo terminal will stop sailings in the middle of the day on nine weekdays early next year. These repairs will make the in-water structure stronger and give our ferries a safer, more reliable landing

Between Jan. 5 and Feb. 13, 2026, midday sailings on our Mukilteo/Clinton route will not operate on nine weekdays. These cancellations are being planned outside busiest commute times. Morning sailings will end after the 8:30 a.m. sailing out of Clinton and the 9 a.m. Mukilteo departure. Service will resume with the 1 p.m. sailing out of Clinton and the 1:30 p.m. Mukilteo departure. When service is suspended, we will do important repairs on an in-water structure at the Mukilteo dock, which involves driving piles at the slip. Because this terminal has only one slip, ferries cannot run while this work is happening. The late-night 1:05 a.m. sailing out of Mukilteo will also be canceled on those nine days to allow crews to set up for the next day’s work. We will share the exact dates once a contractor is hired this fall.

Contract signed for 3 new hybrid-electric ferries

We recently signed a contract with Eastern Shipbuilding Group to build three new 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries. Their price was tens of millions of dollars lower than the other bid we received. With those savings we can build three vessels instead of just two. The contract also includes the cost of delivering the boats to Washington. This is a big step toward modernizing our fleet and making our service more reliable. Now that the contract is signed, ESG will help finish the design of the boats and create a detailed project schedule. At the same time, we will start buying equipment for the ferries. This process will take about a year, followed by construction, which is estimated to take four years. We expect the first vessel to start service as early as 2030, with contract incentives to finish sooner. To learn more about our partnership with ESG and the work ahead, visit our blog for more details.

These new ferries will replace some of our oldest vessels, including several that are more than 50 years old. They are part of our goal to have 26 vessels, up from 21 now, in our fleet by 2040.

New vessel engineering and maintenance director

This week, we welcomed Forrest Nichols to our executive team as the new director of vessel engineering and maintenance. It’s great to see someone who started here as an oiler in 2012 rise through the ranks. He knows the technical work, supports his coworkers and works well with other departments. His experience and values make him a great fit for this leadership role. As director, Forrest will oversee the teams that keep our ferries running. This includes work in our engine rooms, Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility, warehouse and headquarters. Please join me in congratulating Forrest. Thank you also to Eben Phillips, our deputy director, who filled this role on an interim basis over the past few months.

Over the years, Forrest has taken on many roles at WSF, including oiler, assistant engineer, chief engineer, temporary maintenance analyst project engineer and most recently, port engineer.

Trial of updated pet policy begins in passenger areas

Steve and I are happy to share news about dogs on our ferries. Based on feedback from customers and employees, and to align with partner transit agencies, we began a six-month trial of an updated pet policy yesterday. During this trial, dogs on leashes are allowed in all passenger areas, except galleys. All other pets must stay in a crate or carrier. Big dogs should stay on the floor. Small dogs should be on a lap or in a carrier. Owners must control their pets and clean up after them. Crew members may direct pets to be moved to an outside deck or vehicle if needed for safety or behavior reasons. As always, service animals are welcome everywhere, as required by law. Livestock must stay in appropriate enclosures at all times. This trial will help us decide if the new rules should become permanent. Your feedback is welcome.

Dogs on leashes were mostly limited to outdoor areas on our ferries. With our new trial policy, they’re now allowed inside the passenger cabin too.

Bainbridge terminal paving project to limit public parking starting Monday, Aug. 25

On Monday, Aug. 25, crews will begin repaving a section of our Bainbridge terminal parking area. Parking will be very limited in this paid U-Park lot, which is adjacent to our terminal building. The pickup/drop-off area and Americans with Disabilities Act stalls will remain open for most of the project. This lot is just one of several paid parking areas near the terminal. The others will stay open and available. The work is expected to take about two months and will complete paving of the lot, which was partially paved a few years ago.

The paving project work area at our Bainbridge terminal parking lot is highlighted in yellow.

Sailing stats for week of Aug. 11-17

For the week of Aug. 11-17, we completed 97.9% of our 3,124 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 70 cancellations, 31 were due to crewing, 22 for schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers), 16 because of vessel-related issues and one due to other miscellaneous reasons.

For comparison, during a similar week last year (Aug. 12-18, 2024), we completed 98.9% of our 2,829 scheduled sailings. Of the 35 cancellations that week, 28 were for schedule resets, two were because of crewing, two due to other miscellaneous reasons, two for weather and one because of an emergency.

Customer kudos

“I wish I remembered his name… There is a guy on the Southworth side most mornings who is an absolute rockstar in the booth. He is positive, helpful, direct, efficient and often the best 3 seconds of my morning. He’s a short guy, usually wears a hat, and is infectiously positive. Make a mold of that guy for the rest of the WSF team members to emulate. I’d hire him away from you, if I could…”

-Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route customer