Washington State Ferries

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington. A division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), it operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. The routes are designated as part of the state highway system. WSF maintains a fleet of 21 vessels that are able to carry passengers and vehicles.

The ferry system carried a total of 19.15Template:Nbspmillion riders in 2024—10.08Template:Nbspmillion passengers and 9.07Template:Nbspmillion vehicles.<ref name="WSF-Ridership">Template:Cite web</ref> WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States and the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world behind BC Ferries.<ref name="WSF-Facts">Template:Cite web</ref> The state ferries carried an average of Template:American transit ridership per weekday in Template:American transit ridership.Template:American transit ridership

History

The ferry system has its origins in the "mosquito fleet", a collection of small steamer lines serving the Puget Sound area during the later part of the nineteenth century and early part of the 20th century. By the beginning of the 1930s, two lines remained: the Puget Sound Navigation Company (known as the Black Ball Line) and the Kitsap County Transportation Company. A strike in 1935 caused the KCTC to close, leaving only the Black Ball Line.<ref name="History">History of Washington State Ferry system Template:Webarchive, wsdot.wa.gov, retrieved March 15, 2008</ref>

Toward the end of the 1940s, the Black Ball Line sought to increase its fares by 30Template:Nbsppercent to compensate for increased wage demands from the ferry workers' unions, which had agreed to a voluntary freeze in increases during World War II. After the state government rejected the fare hike, the company shut down service for nine days in protest.<ref name="Skagit2009">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1951, the state bought nearly all of Black Ball's ferry assets for $5Template:Nbspmillion (Black Ball retained five vessels of its fleet). Washington State Ferries began operation on June 1, 1951.<ref>Washington State Ferries begins operations on June 1, 1951, HistoryLink.org, retrieved March 15, 2008</ref> The state government intended to run ferry service only until cross-sound bridges could be built, but these were never approved and left the ferries as the only means of crossing for vehicles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The new system was operated by the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority, which ordered ten new vessels that could carry 60 to 100 vehicles. A set of revenue bonds were also issued to purchase the 16 vessels and 20 terminals of the Puget Sound Navigational Company for a total of $4.94Template:Nbspmillion. The ten initial routes were reduced to eight by the end of the year.<ref name="History-1981">Template:Cite web</ref> A route between Port Townsend and Keystone on Whidbey Island was launched in June 1974 to replace a privately-run service that had lost its franchise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Toll Bridge Authority was dissolved and replaced by the consolidated Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) on September 21, 1977.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During the COVID-19 pandemic, WSF reduced service on most routes and suspended trips to Sidney on the Anacortes–San Juan Islands route. The loss of workers who retired, transferred, or were fired during the pandemic caused delays and trip cancellations as service and ridership began to recover in 2021 and 2022, while vessel replacement also ran behind schedule.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By early 2023, full levels of service were restored on four routes but remained limited across much of the system; the Sidney route is not expected to re-enter service until 2030.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Staffing issues, particularly among ship captains and mates, continued to prevent the full restoration of service on the Seattle–Bremerton and Fauntleroy–Vashon–Southworth routes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As mitigation for the delay in restoring the Seattle–Bremerton run's second vessel, WSF funded additional trips on the parallel Kitsap Fast Ferries that serves both terminals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The second vessel on the Seattle–Bremerton route was restored in June 2025, followed a month later by weekend trips on the Port Townsend–Coupeville route to bring the system to its pre-pandemic domestic schedule.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Routes

File:Washington Ferries map.svg

A map showing the routes operated by Washington State Ferries (in red) in comparison with Washington State highways (in yellow) and freeways, including Washington State and Interstate highways (in blue)

WSF has 10 routes that serve 20 terminals in Puget Sound and the Salish Sea in Western Washington.<ref name="WSF-Facts"/> The network spans Template:Convert and serves an estimated population of 3.9Template:Nbspmillion residents across an area of Template:Convert.<ref name="FTA-Database"/> The busiest route is the Seattle–Bainbridge Island ferry, which carried 4.9Template:Nbspmillion total riders in 2024; the Mukilteo–Clinton ferry carried 2.1Template:Nbspmillion total vehicles in 2024, the most of any route.<ref name="WSF-Ridership"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Route name	Terminals				State route designation<ref name="State Routes Map">Template:Cite WSDOT map</ref>	Annual ridership<ref name="WSF-Ridership"/>	Annual vehicles carried<ref name="WSF-Ridership"/>	Notes
Anacortes–Sidney BC (Service suspended)	Sidney, British Columbia	Friday Harbor, San Juan Island		Anacortes	N/A<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	0	0	Service suspended until 2030 Only route that operated internationally Only route that is not part of state highway system (Friday Harbor-Sidney, BC segment)
Anacortes–San Juan Islands	Friday Harbor, San Juan Island				Template:Jct	1,919,272	920,865	Reservations recommended Not all trips serve all island terminals.
	Lopez Island
	Shaw Island
	Orcas Island
Inter island	Friday Harbor, San Juan Island	Orcas Island	Shaw Island	Lopez Island
Port Townsend–Coupeville	Port Townsend			Coupeville, Whidbey Island	Template:Jct	694,636	318,547	Reservations recommended
Mukilteo–Clinton	Clinton, Whidbey Island			Mukilteo	Template:Jct	3,687,921	2,082,705
Edmonds–Kingston	Kingston			Edmonds	Template:Jct	3,737,516	1,906,862
Seattle–Bainbridge Island	Winslow, Bainbridge Island			Seattle (Colman Dock)	Template:Jct	4,905,490	1,594,309
Seattle–Bremerton	Bremerton				Template:Jct	990,435	362,529
Fauntleroy–Vashon	Vashon Island			West Seattle (Fauntleroy)	Template:Jct	2,261,933	1,349,100	All three services operated together as a "triangle route."
Fauntleroy–Southworth	Southworth
Southworth–Vashon	Southworth			Vashon Island
Point Defiance–Tahlequah	Tahlequah, Vashon Island			Tacoma (Point Defiance)	Template:Jct	960,478	537,408

Former routes

• Agate Pass, replaced by the Agate Pass Bridge on October 7, 1950<ref name="ATR1960">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Edmonds–Port Ludlow
• Port Gamble–Shine, replaced by South Point route on June 10, 1950<ref name="ATR1960" />
• Seattle–Suquamish, discontinued on October 1, 1951
• South Point–Lofall, replaced by Hood Canal Bridge in 1961
• Tacoma Narrows, replaced by Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940 but reinstated from 1940 to 1950<ref name="ATR1960" />

Operations

In 2023, Washington State Ferries had an operating budget of $338.2Template:Nbspmillion and spent approximately $18.54 per passenger trip. The active ferries traveled a total of Template:Convert in revenue service and carried a total of 18.2Template:Nbspmillion unlinked passenger trips.<ref name="FTA-Database">Template:Cite web</ref> The system has over 1,500 employees, but had had crew shortages in the early 2020s that have led to sailing cancellations and deferred maintenance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Onboard food service, primarily through the ship galley and vending machines, is operated by contractor Sodexo Live.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The primary maintenance facility for the system is at Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, just west of the city's ferry terminal. WSF built its Eagle Harbor facility in 1962 and uses it to also store unused or recently retired vessels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> WSF also has other shops on Bainbridge Island, including in-house carpenters that maintain and repair fixtures aboard ferries as well as at terminals, including windows, floors, and cables.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Outside contractors also conduct maintenance and rehabilitation work on ferries, including those on Lake Union in Seattle that are accessed through the Lake Washington Ship Canal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The agency allows weddings and other celebrations to take place on board ferries with advance reservations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The scattering of cremated remains at sea is performed board state ferries with permission from WSF, who charge a fee of $150 and require the use of a biodegradable container or vessel. The ceremonies, scheduled outside of peak travel periods, take place during a temporary stop and are followed by an announcement and the sounding of the ferry's whistle. In 2024, a total of 190 memorials were performed aboard WSF vessels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Fleet

File:MV Tacoma.jpg

Washington State Ferry Tacoma

File:MV Hyak.jpg

The Hyak in Rich Passage heading to Bremerton, WA

File:M-V Chimacum in Elliott Bay.jpg

The MV Chimacum arrives in Seattle for the first time with passengers on board, on May 24, 2017.

File:Washington State Ferries vessel MV Puyallup departing Seattle.jpg

MV Puyallup departing Seattle with the city skyline in the background.

Template:As of, there are 21 ferries in the WSF fleet that serve Puget Sound.<ref name="WSF Fleet">Washington State Ferries – Our Fleet Template:Webarchive, Washington State Department of Transportation, Retrieved June 16, 2020</ref> The average age is 32.1Template:Nbspyears old.<ref name="FTA-Database"/> The largest vessels in this fleet carry up to 2500 passengers and 202 vehicles. They are painted in a distinctive white and green trim paint scheme, and feature double-ended open vehicle decks and bridges at each end so that they do not need to turn around.<ref name="FleetGuide">Template:Cite web</ref> Most of the ferries feature an outdoor deck with two "pickleforks" where passengers board and disembark the vessel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After 50 years of state service, a ferry receives a commemorative gold stripe that is painted on the center stack.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The fleet uses diesel fuel to power its engines and is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government at 19Template:Nbspmillion gallons used annually prior to 2020;<ref name="Times-Design2024">Template:Cite news</ref> WSF plans to electrify its fleet over 20 years. By 2040, it intends to build 16 new hybrid-electric vessels and convert six others to have hybrid propulsion. This will reduce carbon emissions by up 180,000 tons annually and save $19Template:Nbspmillion per year in diesel fuel costs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The first vessel to undergo conversion to use hybrid-electric propulsion is Template:MV, which is expected to return to service in summer 2025.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The program was originally expected to begin in 2022 with a new boat constructed by Vigor Industrial, but cost overruns and disagreements led to delays. Vigor had been the sole shipbuilder for Washington State Ferries since 1997.<ref name="Times-Ages">Template:Cite news</ref> Further work on converting the existing fleet was delayed by Washington governor Bob Ferguson in early 2025 in favor of restoring service on the routes. The next conversion is scheduled for after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2021, WSF released their plan to move to hybrid electric vessels by building a new 144-car Olympic-class ferry, which they initially scheduled to complete by 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new vessel, named Template:MV, was later delayed to 2027 and will require the installation of electrical connections at the Clinton ferry terminal on Whidbey Island.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An invitation for bids for three hybrid electric vessels was opened by WSF in May 2024 and sent to 15 interested companies.<ref name="Times-Design2024"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Three shipyards were qualified to bid, but WSF only received bids from two: Eastern Shipbuilding of Panama City, Florida, and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, Washington. Eastern's $714.5Template:Nbspmillion bid to build three vessels was selected by the state government in July 2025 and will comprise the first WSF vessels built outside of Washington state in 50 years. The three vessels, planned to begin delivery as soon as 2029, will use a design based on the Olympic class and would have an electric propulsion system supplied by ABB. These ferries are planned to be Template:Convert long with a capacity of 1,500 passengers and 164 vehicles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Template:As of, 9 of the 21 active ferries maintained by Washington State Ferries are considered to be in good condition. Cancellation of sailings due to mechanical problems and urgent maintenance increased in the 2010s and 2020s.<ref name="Times-Ages"/>

The ferry fleet consists of the following vessels:<ref name="WSF Fleet" />

Class	Ferry name	Year built	Auto capacity	Passenger capacity	Speed	Notes
Evergreen State	Template:MV	1959	87	1,061	Template:Convert
Super	Template:MV	1967	144	1,868	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	1967	144	2,000	Template:Convert
Jumbo	Template:MV	1972	188	2,000	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	1973	188	2,000	Template:Convert
Issaquah	Template:MV	1979	124	1,200	Template:Convert	Auto capacity increased in 1989.
	Template:MV	1980	124	1,200	Template:Convert	Auto capacity increased in 1990.
	Template:MV	1980	124	1,200	Template:Convert	Auto capacity increased in 1992.
	Template:MV	1981	124	1,200	Template:Convert	Auto capacity increased in 1993.
	Template:MV	1981	124	1,200 1,090 International	Template:Convert	Auto capacity increased in 2001. Upgraded to meet SOLAS safety standards for international service on Sidney, BC route in 2005.
	Template:MV	1982	90	1,200	Template:Convert
Jumbo Mark II	Template:MV	1997	202	2,500	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	1998	202	2,500	Template:Convert	Converted to hybrid-electric propulsion in 2025
	Template:MV	1999	202	2,500	Template:Convert
Kwa-di Tabil	Template:MV	2010	64	750	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	2011	64	750	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	2011	64	750	Template:Convert
Olympic	Template:MV	2014	144	1,500	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	2015	144	1,500	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	2017	144	1,500	Template:Convert
	Template:MV	2018	144	1,500	Template:Convert

Retired vessels

File:MV Illahee.jpg

Template:MV was one of the Steel Electric class ferries which were retired in 2007.

File:Kalakala.jpg

Template:MV was retired in 1967.

Since the beginning of state-run ferry service in 1951, WSF has retired many vessels as they have become older, too expensive to operate or maintain, or have become too small to provide adequate ferry service. WSF owned passenger-only vessels between 1985 and 2009, but after discontinuing its two passenger-only routes in the 2000s, WSF has sold its passenger-only ferries to other operators.

Below is a list of ferries that WSF has retired since 1951. Unless otherwise noted, all vessels introduced in 1951 were acquired from the Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSN), also known as the Black Ball Line, when the state took over the company's routes and ferryboats in Puget Sound.

Washington State Ferries retired fleet<ref name="WSF Retired Fleet">Template:Cite web</ref>

Ferry name	Class	Year built (rebuilt)	Year in service	Year retired	Auto capacity	Passenger capacity	Notes
Template:MV	None	1900 (1928/ 1932)	1951	1964	52	950	Converted to a car ferry in 1926
Template:MV	None	1913	1951	1967	40	453	Previously owned by King County and used on Lake Washington
Template:SS	None	1922	1951	1969	50	659	Purchased by PSN in 1941
Template:SS	None	1922	1951	1958	55	468	Purchased by PSN in 1941
Template:MV	None	1923 (1931)	1951	1951	33	312
Template:MV	Anderson	1925	1951	1961	32	325
Template:MV	None	1925 (1947)	1951	1967	30	300	Purchased by the state in 1947
Template:MV	Wood Electric	1926	1951	1972	50	770	Purchased by PSN in 1940
Template:MV	None	1926 (1935)	1951	1967	110	1943	Originally built as MV Peralta in 1926; rebuilt as Kalakala in 1935 using PeraltaTemplate:'s hull
Template:MV	Steel Electric	1927	1951	1967	90	1500	Purchased by PSN in 1940 and converted to a single-ended ferry
Template:MV	Steel Electric	1927	1951	1967	90	1500	Purchased by PSN in 1940 and converted to a single-ended ferry
Template:MV	Wood Electric	1927	1951	1973	50	400	Purchased by PSN in 1938
Template:MV	Steel Electric	1927 (1958/ 1985)	1951	2007	59	616	Purchased by PSN in 1940
Template:MV	Steel Electric	1927 (1958/ 1986)	1951	2007	59	616	Purchased by PSN in 1940
Template:MV	Steel Electric	1927 (1958/ 1987)	1951	2007	59	616	Purchased by PSN in 1940
Template:MV	Steel Electric	1927 (1958/ 1981)	1951	2007	64	412	Purchased by PSN in 1940
Template:MV	Wood Electric	1928	1951	1972	50	601	Purchased by PSN in 1940
Template:MV	None	1929	1951	1969	32	465	Operated under a state contract since 1940 after the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed
Template:MV	Anderson	1930	1951	1980	50	646
Template:MV	None	1938	1954	1993	55	605	Purchased by WSF in 1954
Template:MV	None	1947 (1990)	1954	2012	48	546	Purchased by WSF in 1954, sold to Atlantic Capes Fisheries in 2013
Template:MV	Evergreen State	1954 (1988)	1954	2016	87	854
Template:MV	None	1954	1970	1982	65	350	Purchased by WSF in 1970, sold in 1982 and renamed Template:MV
Template:MV	Evergreen State	1958 (1995)	1958	2017	87	792
Template:MV	Super	1966	1967	2019	144	2000	Horn and engine order telegraph salvaged for use by the Seattle Kraken<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:MV	None	1967	1967	2016	34	199
Template:MV	Super	1967 (1991)	1968	2020	144	1069	Upgraded to meet SOLAS standards for Sidney, BC. Sold to Everett Ship Repair, which plans to convert it into floating office and warehouse space.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:MV	None	1985	1985	2003	0	250	Operating as M/V Glacier Express in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska as of 2013<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:MV	Skagit/Kalama	1989	1989	2009	0	230	Sold in 2011
Template:MV	Skagit/Kalama	1989	1989	2009	0	230	Sold in 2011; capsized on July 18, 2012
Template:MV	Passenger-Only Fast Ferry	1998	1998	2008	0	350	Sold to Golden Gate Ferries, renamed MV Golden Gate
Template:MV	Passenger-Only Fast Ferry	1999	1999	2008	0	350	Sold to Golden Gate Ferries, renamed MV Napa

See also

• Alaska Marine Highway
• BC Ferries
• Ferries in Washington (state)
• Inter-Island Ferry Authority
• Keller Ferry
• King County Water Taxi
• Kitsap Fast Ferries

External links

• Template:Official website
• Evergreenfleet.com – A History of Washington State Ferries Past and Present
• Vehicle Reservation Predesign Study Template:Webarchive