ferries Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

‘Build in Washington’ rule may be cast overboard to obtain new ferries affordably and quickly

By Tom Banse March 23, 2023

The aging state ferry Spokane was in drydock at its birthplace, the Vigor shipyard, as 2023 began. Whether future Washington ferries will also be built in Seattle is increasingly uncertain

Every new car ferry added to the Washington State Ferries fleet over the past fifty years was built at a Puget Sound shipyard. Now, state lawmakers are considering a break from past policy in order to obtain new vessels faster and cheaper for the troubled state ferry system.Read More

Washington State Ferries To Stay On Reduced Schedule As Summer Begins

By Tom Banse June 19, 2020

Washington State Ferries is only using one of the two boats it normally assigns to the Port Townsend-Coupeville route in summer, as is the case on routes to downtown Seattle as well. CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

Summer officially begins on Saturday, but it still feels like winter if you study the sailing schedule of Washington State Ferries. With ridership depressed by the ongoing pandemic, the nation's biggest ferry system is sticking to a reduced schedule through what would normally be its busiest season.Read More

Whale Strikes In Puget Sound Could Get More Common As Humpback Numbers Grow

By Anna Boiko-Weyrauch May 30, 2019

The diesel-powered jumbo ferry M/V Puyallup is in line for conversion to hybrid-electric propulsion. CREDIT: TOM BANSE/NW NEWS NETWORK

A launch, a thud, a trail of blood. NOAA believes it was a juvenile humpback whale that a Bainbridge Island-bound ferry hit in Elliot Bay a few minutes after its 8:15 p.m. departure Tuesday night.Read More

Washington Ferry Riders Face Another Fare Hike, May Get Electric Ferries In The Deal

By Tom Banse March 26, 2019

Two new proposed hybrid-electric state ferries will be the same size as the newest ferry in the WSF fleet, the 144-car Suquamish. CREDIT: WSDOT

There's a good chance that people who ride Washington State Ferries will see a permanent fare increase this fall. As part of the deal, passengers could glide across Puget Sound on the state's first hybrid-electric ferries three to five years from now.Read More

Washington Inches Closer To Hybrid Electric Ferry Fleet

By Tom Banse March 27, 2018

The MV Puyallup is one of three Jumbo Mark II state ferries under study for possible conversion from diesel to battery-electric power. CREDIT: TOM BANSE

Now that electric cars are a common sight on the nation's highways, and prototypes exist for electric trucks and airplanes, could electric ferries be next?Read More