Weekly update
Read the weekly update from WSDOT Deputy Secretary Steve Nevey, head of Washington State Ferries.
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Here is the latest edition of the WSF Weekly Update:
July 3, 2025
A message from Steve
I’m excited to share big news on our journey to build new vessels. This week, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced we will award a contract to Eastern Shipbuilding Group to build our first new hybrid-electric 160-auto ferries. This is a huge step forward in making our system cleaner and more reliable. After a year of competitive bidding, Eastern won with a bid of $714.5 million to build three boats. This doesn’t include approximately $150 million per vessel for owner-furnished equipment and contingencies, bringing the total for the first vessel to $400 million, with the next two costing less as efficiencies are gained.
These vessels will first serve our Mukilteo/Clinton, then Seattle/Bremerton routes. When our terminals are ready with charging power, these new ferries will cut emissions by about 90% compared to our older ferries. This helps move us closer to our goal of adding 16 new ferries by 2040 so we can provide better service for our communities.
Fourth of July holiday ferry travel
The Independence Day ferry travel rush kicked off yesterday with more than 74,000 riders in a single day. By Sunday, July 6, we expect nearly 400,000 people aboard our vessels over the five-day period. To help navigate the extra traffic, we recommend using the WSDOT mobile app. The app and our website show sailing schedules, live terminal conditions and traffic cameras. You can also check rider alerts, track our ferries on a real-time map and make vehicle reservations for our Anacortes/San Juan Islands or Port Townsend/Coupeville runs.
For riders on the Port Townsend/Coupeville route, the holiday brings more than fireworks. Starting July 4, we’ll have two boats running every Friday through Monday through Oct. 13. This is the final step in our plan to restore nearly full domestic service – three years earlier than originally planned. We are pleased to have 18 boats in service for what will likely be our busiest ridership weekend of the year. I appreciate our staff's work over the holiday weekend to provide the best service we can for our riders.
Daily 3-boat schedule returns to "Triangle" route
The second step in our plan to restore service began on Monday. That’s the day we brought back daily three-boat service on our “Triangle” route. View three-boat schedule for Fauntleroy/Vashon, Fauntleroy/Southworth and Southworth/Vashon. This is great news, but we want to be honest, sometimes, due to a lack of boats or crew, we may still need to go back to our two-boat schedule. If that happens, the “Triangle” route’s new backup schedule (use the drop-down menu at the top to view the other two segments of the route) – created with input from a community advisory group – will be used. Our first step in restoring service was to bring back the two-boat schedule on our Seattle/Bremerton route on June 15.
Study on passenger-only ferries
We recently released a Passenger-Only Ferry Study (PDF 8.2MB), as required by the state Legislature. The study looked at how the state could add passenger-only ferry service to support current routes and improve travel options. It highlighted two potential routes in Puget Sound (Whidbey Island-Everett and Bellingham-Friday Harbor) and two options for interisland service in the San Juan Islands. The study shared ideas about how these routes could help people get around our waterways without cars and what it would cost to start them. This report will help lawmakers decide what role the state should take in the future of passenger-only ferry service.
Keep crab pots away from our routes
Ferries and crabbing are both part of summer in the Pacific Northwest. But they don’t go well together in the same waters. Crab pots in ferry lanes can cause damage and delays. They can also be dangerous. Many areas of Salish Sea open for crabbing today or Sunday. If you’re heading out, please keep crab pots away from our routes. For tips on safe and successful crabbing, check out the Northwest Straits Initiative’s tips and tricks. A Department of Fish and Wildlife proposed rule would ban commercial and recreational crabbing, shrimping and fishing with purse seines or gillnets near our terminals. WDFW is asking for public feedback before its hearing on the matter at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
AB to Mate Program graduates work towards license
Twelve of our deck crew members just finished our latest AB to Mate Program. This program helps our employees get the training they need to earn their mate’s license. It gives them a chance to move up to licensed deck officer jobs. These jobs are one of our greatest areas of need. We offer this program with the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies. This year’s class was the first that had to take their mate’s license test right after finishing their courses. They worked hard and met the challenge. Seven of them have already passed all their tests. The other five have dates set to take their tests before the end of July. Congratulations!
Northwest Maritime’s WA360 boat race
Northwest Maritime is a local group that helps people of all ages learn about life on the water. They do this through hands-on programs and fun events. One way we work with Northwest Maritime is through Maritime High School. This is a free public school where students can learn about jobs on the water, like working on our ferries. This helps us find and inspire future maritime workers. To celebrate the start of Northwest Maritime’s WA360 boat race, we flew special flags on many of our vessels last weekend. The race began in Port Townsend on Saturday. It is a 360-mile race that lasts two weeks. The race will end on Saturday, July 12. Some racers already finished on Tuesday.
Sailing stats for week of June 23-29
For the week of June 23-29, we completed 98.7% of our 2,878 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 44 cancellations, 18 were due to tidal currents, 13 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), nine because of terminal-related issues, three due to vessel-related issues and one for an emergency.
Customer kudos
“I took the Edmonds 3:15 ferry on 5/23/25. I had just had surgery and quickly boarded with a medical pass. That was so helpful!! The line was crazy long. Mostly, I wanted to share that all of the employees that we interacted with were beyond friendly and helpful. Thank you so much!!!”
-Edmonds/Kingston route customer
Steve Nevey
WSDOT Deputy Secretary for Washington State Ferries
Slow down – lives are on the line.
Excessive speed was a top cause of work zone collisions in 2024.
Phone down, eyes up.
Work zones need our undivided attention.
It's in EVERYONE’S best interest.
96% of people hurt in work zones are drivers, their passengers or passing pedestrians, not just our road crews.