Fourth 144-car state ferry to be built at Seattle shipyard

Published 8:16 am Tuesday, December 29, 2015

OLYMPIA — Washington State Ferries is adding a fourth modern ferry to replace its aging fleet of ferries.

State officials announced Monday that Vigor Industrial will begin building the $122 million Olympic Class ferry at its Seattle shipyard next month.

The new ferries can carry 144 vehicles and is scheduled to be done by mid-2018. Officials say the new ferries are more fuel efficient, quieter and have cleaner-burning engines to reduce emissions. They’ll have wider lanes for cars and the latest emergency systems.

Vigor is in the middle of building a third ferry that will be added to the Seattle-Bremerton route in early 2017.