Washington State 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

Want A Really Big Houseboat? Former Washington State Ferry May Head To Auction (Again)

By Tom Banse June 27, 2020

Are better times ahead for the former Washington state ferry Evergreen State now that the Port of Olympia has seized it for nonpayment of bills? CREDIT: Tom Banse/N3

A former state ferry now moored on the Olympia waterfront may be headed for auction for the third time in about three years, this time to remedy months of unpaid port bills. The venerable car ferry Evergreen State was declared "abandoned" by the Port of Olympia on Friday, to the dismay of its owner.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

Want To Own A Big Ol’ Boat? A Former Washington State Ferry Is Up For Sale — Again

By Tom Banse January 24, 2020

Do you want to own an old ferryboat? A retired Washington car ferry is for sale again after the current owner's many ideas for the boat did not work out.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 State Ferries Unveils Plan For Younger, Greener (And A Bit Larger) Fleet By 2040

By Tom Banse January 7, 2019

File photo. MV Puyallup approaches Pier 52 in Seattle. CREDIT: TOM BANSE/N3

Washington State Ferries has come up with a plan to replace more than half of its fleet with new, electric-powered ferries. But the new plan faces hurdles from a cost standpoint and limited shipyard capacity.Read More