Everett, Wash.
Published: Saturday, December 15, 2007

State rushes to inspect 12 ferries

All state boats in service to be examined in 8 days

By Scott North and Jim Haley, Herald Writers

 SEATTLE -- Concerned about continuing problems with corrosion in the state ferry fleet, the Coast Guard this week ordered examinations of a dozen boats in the next eight days.

All of the Washington State Ferries to be inspected are assigned to routes that carry passengers and freight, and it likely will be difficult to meet the Coast Guard's order, said Mike LaCroix, senior port engineer for the ferry system.

State crews and Coast Guard inspectors plan to work nights and weekends to try to minimize the impact on ferry customers, LaCroix said. One challenge is the availability of trucks that pump water from boat bilges, he said. Many of those vehicles are now being used to remove flood water from buildings hit by recent record flooding in southwest Washington.

The tight deadline from the Coast Guard is something ferry officials don't remember ever facing before, but they share the federal agency's sense of urgency, said Traci Brewer-Rogstad, deputy director of the ferry system.

"We've said, and they've said, we want to do the right thing," she said.

The Coast Guard set the Dec. 23 inspection deadline knowing there could be some inconvenience. However, "it's important we get these done ASAP, given (the) degree of problems we've found," John D. Dwyer, chief of the Coast Guard's inspection division in Seattle, wrote in an e-mail to ferry officials Wednesday.

The Coast Guard's action came a day before Gov. Chris Gregoire's Thursday announcement that the state will stop spending money trying to repair its 80-year-old Steel Electric-class ferries. Instead, Gregoire said she will ask the Legislature for $100 million to build three new car-carrying ferries as replacements. She also signed contracts with area shipyards to build three new 144-car ferries.

For years, the Coast Guard had approved the Steel Electrics as safe for operation. They were "grandfathered" for operation, even though they haven't since the 1950s met federal safety standards for watertight compartments designed to keep the vessel afloat and stable during severe hull flooding.

The Coast Guard ordered stepped-up inspection and maintenance on the Steel Electrics in late June after a series of cracks and leaks on the boats affected service.

Over the months, problems with the Steel Electrics led the state to spend more than $4 million on repairs. The state stopped spending money after inspections showed that nearly half of the hull steel in the 1927-vintage Quinault was too corroded to repair and needed replacement.

Troubles with the Steel Electrics taught the Coast Guard and the state some important lessons regarding the ferry system's maintenance regimen, said Lt. Cmdr. Todd Howard, chief of vessel inspections for the Coast Guard in Seattle.

"Over the last couple of weeks, we have actually seen some issues during regularly scheduled inspections" of other ferries, Howard said. "We've seen issues with other classes outside of the Steel Electrics."

Ferry officials on Nov. 30 said pitting similar to that found on the Steel Electrics has been found inside the hull of the Hyak, a 144-car ferry built in 1967.

LaCroix on Friday said inspection has found an area on the hull of the Kitsap that is "suspect," and likely will require replacement. The Kitsap is a 124-car ferry launched in 1980.

"Basically, it is the same kind of issues we found in the Steel Electrics," Howard said.

The problems on the Hyak and the Kitsap were found while the boats were receiving regular inspections, and state ferry officials had planned for the potential that work would be necessary.

The state has come under criticism recently from outside experts who have questioned its decision to attempt to finance construction of new ferries by foregoing preservation work on boats already in the fleet.

With approval from state lawmakers, the ferry system in 2003 diverted $68 million of vessel preservation funding to help finance construction of new boats, according to ferry system documents. The Hyak, in particular, took the brunt of that decision, although millions of dollars have since been restored to pay for repair work.

Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA