Date:
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Contact:
Steve Rodgers, WSDOT Ferries Division Director of Operations, 206-515-3436; Susan Harris-Huether, Customer Information Manager, 206.515.3460
SEATTLE - Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division announced that service adjustments previously planned for the week of March 10-14 are postponed after a problem was discovered late Friday, March 7, in the steel welding of the 34-car ferry Hiyu that will delay its return to full time service in the San Juan Islands.
The Hiyu has been at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes for maintenance and steel hull repair since December and was scheduled to begin service on the San Juan Islands inter-island route on Monday, March 10. The vessel is currently at the ferry system's Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility where it was preparing to travel north to the San Juan Islands on Sunday. During a routine inspection, vessel crews discovered a damp area in one of the void spaces on the vessel.
"While the Hiyu was in dry dock, workers welded in new steel hull plates and repaired areas of steel corrosion," said Paul Brodeur, Director of Vessel Preservation, Maintenance and Engineering. "When we drydock the vessel again and get a better look, we will be able to determine the cause of this new problem."
On March 12, the Hiyu will return to Dakota Creek for inspection and repair. The work is expected to take several days. Once repairs are completed, the Hiyu will begin operating on the San Juan Islands inter-island route until mid-May.
Because there are no spare vessels in the system, the Hiyu's delayed return to service caused the ferry system to postpone planned vessel maintenance work and service changes systemwide. Changes to previously announced service adjustments include:
Anacortes/San Juan Islands
� Until the Hiyu is available, the 87-car Klahowya will continue to provide service on the San Juan Islands inter-island route.
Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth
� Because the Klahowya is not available to run on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route, the 87-car Tillikum will remain on the route instead of moving to the Seattle/Bremerton route for the week of March 10-14.
Seattle/Bremerton
� Planned maintenance on the 124-car Kitsap will be postponed so the Kitsap can continue to operate on the Seattle/Bremerton route. The 188-car Walla Walla will also remain on Seattle/Bremerton, maintaining the route's normal vehicle capacity.
� WSDOT last week announced a temporary Seattle/Bremerton schedule for the week of March 10-14 to accommodate the slower Tillikum. Although the Kitsap will remain on the route, the revised schedule will go into effect on Monday, March 10, as planned, to accommodate customers who have already adjusted their schedules around the revised sailing times. The route will return to the regular schedule on Tuesday, March 11. Both schedules are available online at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/.
WSDOT appreciates customers' patience with ongoing service adjustments as the Ferries Division completes necessary vessel inspections and dry-docking for ferry maintenance. Customers are encouraged to check the Web site, www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries, or call 1-888-808-7977 for the latest information.
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No Ordinary Journey
Created on June 1, 1951, Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the largest ferry system in the United States and the largest ferry system in the world based on vehicles carried. More than 24 million people a year ride the ferries and over 30,000 vehicles a day use this critical link in the state highway system. WSF has a fleet of 28 vessels and operates 20 terminals throughout Puget Sound.
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