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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Crack found on a second ferry 8/23/07 • Leaky ferry stayed in service 8/19/07 • Cracked ferry's future in doubt 8/16/07 • Crack puts 80-year-old ferry on shelf 8/1/07 • Ferry solutions mired in blame 7/23/07 • Are old, rusting ferries still fit? 7/22/07 • Old ferries' care found lacking 7/11/07 • Four old ferries sold for scrap 6/23/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, July 26, 2007 Quest for new ferries sped up By Scott North, Herald Writer Finding a way to retire the oldest saltwater ferries in the nation is now a higher priority for Washington state transportation planners. Recent increased scrutiny of problems with its leaking 80-year-old boats has Washington State Ferries speeding up a study of options for replacing the vessels, Paula Hammond, the state's interim transportation secretary, said Wednesday. Hammond said she wants to begin next year with some workable ideas to allow the state to retire all four of its 1927-vintage Steel Electric class ferries. "I sure hope so," Hammond said. "I think the big question is, how can we fund and finance whatever it is we want to do with Keystone and Port Townsend." The state's continued reliance on the Klickitat, Quinault, Illahee and Nisqually is closely tied to the future of ferry service between Keystone on Whidbey Island and Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. That's because the state's oldest boats are the only vessels in the 28-ferry fleet small enough and agile enough to fit into the terminals there. The state already has spent six years and about $5.5 million studying what to do with that route. Its ideas for building bigger terminals capable of serving the state's largest ferries fell flat with people living nearby, and with lawmakers skeptical of high costs. State lawmakers earlier this year directed ferry officials to come up with a plan by 2009 for new ferries on that run. Until the old boats are replaced, ferry officials said they must rely indefinitely on the Steel Electrics. Ferry planners now hope to complete their study a year earlier than expected, aiming to get it done by the time the Legislature goes into session in January, Hammond said. The decision to speed up the study comes after a June 26 order from the Coast Guard to take immediate steps to correct frequent leaks on the Steel Electrics. Although Coast Guard officials say the boats are safe and have issued the ferries permits to operate, the agency has described the leak problems as "serious in nature" and reflecting insufficient maintenance for aging vessels. The state expects to spend $2 million meeting Coast Guard demands. The Herald has been exploring problems with the Steel Electrics in recent months, including a two-part series this week detailing problems. The stories began after the Klickitat was pulled from service in March with a 6-inch crack in the hull. Emergency repairs have sidelined that ferry 11 times since 1997. The crack was just one of six breaches or holes discovered over the past 10 years, according to ferry system maintenance records. The state is now negotiating with shipbuilders to construct four new 144-car ferries, more than twice the size of the old ones. Ferry officials are hopeful the new boats will allow them to retire two Steel Electrics sometime after 2009. But until they find alternatives, they still will have to keep at least some of the aging ferries operating on the run between Keystone and Port Townsend, Hammond said. Last year, 767,000 passengers traveled on that route. That's only about 3 percent of ferry system riders, and the route is losing money. Hammond said a partnership between the state and private industry may be one option to explore in retiring the Steel Electrics on that route, but the challenge of making the run pay for itself would remain.

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