SEATTLE — After months of trying, Washington State Ferries finally appears to have sold four octogenarian ferries to a California recycler.
The four Steel Electric-class vessels — the Klickitat, Quinault, Illahee and Nisqually — have been sold to Eco Planet Recycling, Inc. of Chula Vista, Calif. The combined price is $200,000.
The vessels were launched in California in the 1920s. They carried cars, people and freight in Washington until November 2007, when they were pulled from service and retired because of concerns about the integrity of their aging hulls.
The sale was approved June 17 and confirmed Friday.
“The Steel Electric class vessels served as unforgettable icons of life in the Pacific Northwest,” said David Moseley, sssistant state Transportation secretary in charge of the ferry system. “We now must continue to focus our attention on getting new vessels built and into service, starting with the 64-auto ferry under construction.”
The Steel Electrics are expected to be towed from Bainbridge Island, where they are now moored, to Ensenada, Mexico, in July, officials said.
The ferry system has spent the past several months stripping the vessels of items that could be used elsewhere in the fleet.
State officials earlier announced other deals to sell the Steel Electric boats, but all of those plans fell through.
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