Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson may delay converting ferries to electric power

Nicholas Deshais / The Seattle Times (TNS)
Posted 1/11/25

Describing the Washington State Ferries system as "in crisis," Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson said he may postpone the ongoing work to convert the fleet's largest ferries to electric power.

"That is …

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Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson may delay converting ferries to electric power

Posted

Describing the Washington State Ferries system as "in crisis," Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson said he may postpone the ongoing work to convert the fleet's largest ferries to electric power.

"That is something I'm very interested in," he told a group of elected officials, business representatives and ferry advocates gathered at Clinton Community Hall on Wednesday, a week before he formally takes office.

Ferguson said delaying conversion was "not ideal," and that no decision would be made until he had "conversations with folks who have a big role in all of that."

Still, it's a stark departure in policy from that of outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee, who Ferguson described as a "close friend of mine and an ally."

While he vowed to stay the course on the larger project to electrify the fleet, beginning with the construction of up to five new electric ferries, Ferguson said he's tasked his budget team with finding a way to get more boats on the water, and faster.

"I'm a firm believer that when you have a crisis, you need to make decisions based on that. ... You have to make choices you wouldn't otherwise normally make," Ferguson said. "We have a lot of challenges in the state, a lot of needs in the state, but only so many things are in the category of: We have a crisis. And we need to act like it."

Ferguson also reiterated something he said on the campaign trail: He would bring diesel-powered boats to the fleet if it meant a quicker return to normal service for the ferry system, the nation's largest. The system has been running a reduced schedule for years, and doesn't anticipate returning to full service until at least 2028.

"We are moving to electric," Ferguson said. "I support that. But the most important thing is we need more boats on the water. If we get more boats on the water, faster, that are diesel — I am sorry, I know this bothers some of my friends — but that is what I will do."

The idea to delay conversion of the system's largest boats — the Jumbo Mark II-class vessels Tacoma and Puyallup — comes from a report being finalized by state Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, and state Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, who lead their respective legislative bodies' transportation committees and who were at Ferguson's side on Wednesday.

The broad outline of their recommendations were presented to Ferguson on Thursday. A final report is expected to be sent to Ferguson next week.

Liias said delaying conversion was far from a perfect solution, but is the best way forward considering the challenges the state has faced with converting the Wenatchee, the first of the planned conversions.

"It's clear to me that the challenges we faced on the first one means we need to be more eyes-wide-open and take a closer look at whether we move forward with those retrofits of those two vessels right away," Liias said in Clinton. "Maybe that timeline should shift."

In September, WSF announced that the Wenatchee would not be back on the water before summer 2025 — a year after it was expected to be and nearly two years since it was pulled from service.

State ferry officials said the blueprints and designs for the Wenatchee didn't match what workers found on the boat, leading to design changes and engineering challenges. The boat was built in 1998.

That delay — and the still unknown cost of one boat's conversion — convinced Liias that the jumbo ferries would likely be out of service too long and should be on the water as the state works to rebuild the fleet.



John Vezina, WSF spokesperson, said his agency will be part of Ferguson's administration on Wednesday, so at that time his "position is our position."

Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island in Seattle was awarded a $100 million contract for the conversion of the Wenatchee and the Tacoma, with an option to convert a third boat, the Puyallup, for an extra $50 million. The state originally estimated the cost of converting three boats would be $120 million.

As the largest vessels in the fleet, the boats can each carry 202 vehicles and 2,500 passengers and they sail the system's busiest routes from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and from Edmonds in Snohomish County to Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Benton Strong, Vigor's spokesperson, said his company had no comment on the potential delay.

The conversion work is part of a nearly $4 billion project to electrify the WSF fleet by 2040. That includes retrofitting six diesel ferries to hybrid electric, building 16 new hybrid-electric vessels and adding charging stations to 16 terminals. WSF also plans to retire 13 diesel ferries.

So far, the Legislature has put $1.7 billion toward the electrification program, from the Move Ahead Washington transportation spending package and money generated by the state's carbon market under the Climate Commitment Act. This money is dedicated to the three ferry conversions, five new hybrid-electric boats and electrification at five terminals, including the Seattle ferry terminal at Colman Dock.

In the meantime, the ferry system is struggling through years of reduced service due to a lack of boats. It has 21 boats, but at any time up to six are out for maintenance, both planned and unplanned. The state agency says it needs 26 boats to run at full service.

In budget talks before he takes office on Jan. 15, Ferguson said he's prepared to make substantial cuts to state spending, saying there are no "sacred cows."

Still, among his four stated priorities is the state's floundering ferry system. He's proposed $20 million for ferry crew recruitment and retention, and to increase services to island communities.

Ferguson said he could reallocate revenue from the Climate Commitment Act to help fund the ferries. He has also promised to elevate the person who leads the ferry system to his cabinet.

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