Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Ferry solutions mired in blame 7/23/07 • Are old, rusting ferries still fit? 7/22/07   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Friday, August 4, 2006 State planning four new ferries Some of the new vessels will carry passengers on the Mukilteo-Clinton route. Associated Press SEATTLE - The state ferry system is seeking proposals for construction of four new vessels for a total of about $321 million, with the first to be ready for service in the fall of 2009. According to the formal request for design and construction proposals issued Wednesday, each new ferry would be able to carry 144 vehicles and 1,500 passengers, the same number of vehicles and 424 more passengers than the existing Super Class ferries. "We are pleased to be moving forward," said Mike Anderson, the ferry system's executive director. "The new vessels are urgently needed." The last new car-and-passenger ferry to go into service in the state fleet was in 1999. Under state law the vessels must be built in Washington. Officials say three shipyards are technically and financially capable of building the boats - J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding of Tacoma, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders Inc. of Freeland and Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp. of Seattle. Once the new boats are in service, officials plan to retire the much smaller Steel Electric ferries, the Klickitat, Illahee, Nisqually and Quinault, all built in 1927. One of the new boats would replace the Kitsap on the Seattle-Bremerton run, boosting capacity, and the others would be split between the Mukilteo-Clinton and San Juan Islands routes. The Kitsap, an Issaquah-class ferry, can accommodate 124 vehicles and 1,200 passengers. The new boats will be slightly faster, but not enough that any changes in schedules are anticipated, project manager David H. Humphreys told the Kitsap Sun.

1. Girl's death in car crash stuns Granite Falls 2. 787 starts ‘final gantlet' of tests before first flight 3. Inmates to help families of police 4. Lewd baristas face stricter rules 5. Swine flu shots to be available to all in county 6. Woman who died in fire named 7. Roe picked as interim prosecutor 8. Gregoire's budget offers no easy way out of deficit 9. Payout of $44.7 million to clean up Asarco contamination in Everett 10. Roche Harbor's second derby a big hit 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Snohomish County offers the best and most affordable venues for conferen ... • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed