Date:
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Contact:
Susan Harris-Huether, Senior Customer Service Manager, 206-515-3460
SEATTLE - WSDOT Ferries Division announced that repairs on the 34-car Hiyu will be completed tomorrow, Thursday, March 13, and the vessel will go into service on the San Juan Islands inter-island route the same day, starting with the 5:25 p.m. sailing out of Friday Harbor.
The Hiyu's return to service triggers two other vessel moves. The 87-car Klahowya will move from the San Juans inter-island route to the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route. The Klahowya is replacing its sister ship, the 87-car Tillikum, so the Tillikum can go into the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for engine repairs and its annual inspection. The 124-car Kitsap will remain on the Seattle/Bremerton route while engineers work to reschedule routine maintenance work for that vessel.
On Friday, March 7, a damp area was discovered in one of the void spaces on the Hiyu. The vessel had 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.
Crews put the Hiyu into the synchrolift at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 12 to conduct repairs and they will be complete by tomorrow. The 87-car Klahowya will operate until the Hiyu resumes service on the 5:25 p.m. departure from Friday Harbor.
The Hiyu is scheduled to serve the San Juans inter-island route until mid-May while the system's larger vessels are undergoing repairs and maintenance. Even though the winter and spring months see less inter-island traffic than in summer, customers should expect some sold out sailings due to the reduced capacity of the Hiyu.
Complete information on schedules and service is available at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/ or by calling 1-888-808-7977. WSDOT will continue to provide updates on near-term service adjustments before they occur.
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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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