Ferry problems cause further delays for commuters
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SEATTLE -- Ferry commuters were once again hit by delays at the dock Monday morning after two more ferries were pulled from service due to mechanical problems.
The two new ferries forced out of service means the system now has five ferries in for repairs or maintenance.
The smaller replacement ships can't always carry the load, so a passenger-only ferry is being used this week to help on the Seattle-Bremerton run. The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run will, for the most part, drop from three ferries to two.
Many ferry users only learned of the problem Monday morning.
"When it breaks down, we feel the effect," said one annoyed commuter.
Ferry chief David Moseley met with commuters and business people in Port Townsend on Monday. It was the last in his series of face-to-face meetings with ferry riders. Moseley said his team scrambled to make this week's adjustments.
"From what we learned this morning, obviously our customers were impacted," he said. "But the services seemed to operate okay. The Salish is slower so were not able to maintain our schedule on the Bremerton run. But given all things considered, I think today, this morning, went about as well as can be expected."
The biggest issue was with the Sealth. A routine inspection Friday spotted a leaky weld in the hull. The Klahowya was also pulled from service after a link between the engine and generator broke Saturday night.
The new repairs come as cancellations pile up this year thanks, in part, to a steep increase in ferry workers calling in sick.
Despite the recent problems, there is good news ahead. One of the system's larger ferries, the Tacoma, will return to service on Friday. Other vessels will follow in the coming weeks.
Moseley also reminded commuters that several brand new large vessels are in the works to help alleviate the problem.
The two new ferries forced out of service means the system now has five ferries in for repairs or maintenance.
The smaller replacement ships can't always carry the load, so a passenger-only ferry is being used this week to help on the Seattle-Bremerton run. The Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run will, for the most part, drop from three ferries to two.
Many ferry users only learned of the problem Monday morning.
"When it breaks down, we feel the effect," said one annoyed commuter.
Ferry chief David Moseley met with commuters and business people in Port Townsend on Monday. It was the last in his series of face-to-face meetings with ferry riders. Moseley said his team scrambled to make this week's adjustments.
"From what we learned this morning, obviously our customers were impacted," he said. "But the services seemed to operate okay. The Salish is slower so were not able to maintain our schedule on the Bremerton run. But given all things considered, I think today, this morning, went about as well as can be expected."
The biggest issue was with the Sealth. A routine inspection Friday spotted a leaky weld in the hull. The Klahowya was also pulled from service after a link between the engine and generator broke Saturday night.
The new repairs come as cancellations pile up this year thanks, in part, to a steep increase in ferry workers calling in sick.
Despite the recent problems, there is good news ahead. One of the system's larger ferries, the Tacoma, will return to service on Friday. Other vessels will follow in the coming weeks.
Moseley also reminded commuters that several brand new large vessels are in the works to help alleviate the problem.
Why am I not comforted by the promise of new ships? Based on the poor design, poor assignment and unreliability of the Chetzamoka my confidence in WSF is eroding. This has been the worst year for service on the Vashon run that I can remember in almost 20 yrs.
Blackball came to my mind also. At least they were operating on time and dependably. Seems like the "upper management" much like other entities are NOT overly concerned about running the ferry system as they might be about other things. We pay for it one way or another.... Privatization might be a consideration again.
Based on the last new ferries, I don't know if the new boats will be a blessing or a curse
I thought the largest misconception currently, was this media source drawing a conclusion that recent vessel breakdowns were directly related to non-sails due to employee or dispatch errors. We could blame OBAMA too.
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The problem with our local services is that rich people dont want to pay their fair share. So we are stuck with sales taxes, failing colleges, failing ferries, toll bridges, and no mass transit.
If the ferry system is not receiving the necessary funding I am sorry but the users of the system should be picking up more of the bill. Also the dock workers union members calling in 'sick' which is canceling runs should be discarded and a company that can manage the system and the workers of that system should step in here!
 @Freespeech Workers calling in sick is not the problem. There was never any increase in that. That was the big lie. There was only an increase in missed sailings due to the fact that, unlike before management took away all but the absolutely required number of crew, any sailor who called in sick HAD to have a replacement before the boat could sail. Now the sailors that they tried to take away have been ordered back by the Coast Guard plus more. But here's the kicker, since management forced this issue all new crew levels are STILL required before the boat can sail. This has been a blunder by management of epic proportions that will have repercussions forever.
All of these "breakdowns" happening at the same time isn't random. One has to think there is something going on here beyond something like faulty parts, worn-out parts and making poor-quality repairs.Â
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 @Veteran Not so much faulty parts, but having a one of a kind part and only having one of them. When (not "if", but "when") that breaks, they have to run around trying to find somebody who can manufacture that part (and it is not cheap).Â
Seems like every time a boat is down for several months, it's because they have discontinued or custom parts involved.Â
Am I the only one who thinks, maybe people shouldn't live so far away from work that they have to take a ferry to get there?
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I'm sorry they are running late to work but what do you expect?
 @AndySue28 No you are not...
 @Freespeech  @AndySue28 And how do either of you propose to solve that? If housing was affordable near the largest base of employment in this area (Everett to Seattle to Tacoma to the Eastside) then maybe we wouldn't have to rely on the ferry system mass transit? I guess your both lucky to either be rich enough to live close to your jobs or you rely on some other subsidized mass transit system (better subsidized than the ferry apparently)
I was on a ferry the other day and a worker forgot to take out the blocks from behind a car on the steep ramp and the car got stuck. There wasn't even a worker on the back of the ferry anywhere. A bicyclist had to help the car out. I have never seen anything like that before. What's happening here?
 @buggy That's the result of the crew cutting that WSF did...There's nobody to come down and remove the blocks on the back ramp of the boat. There were several block related issues that I know of from the last couple months. You can thank Mr. Mosely for that. The Coast Guard just increased the required manning levels, so that sort of issue shouldn't happen after the new levels take effect.Â
 @buggy I was on the ferry the other day and a ferry worker stood there for 2.5 seconds without cleaning anything. Oh my God, what's happening here?
 @Razor This might seem funny to you but for an elderly person who doesn't know what the heck happened it could put lives in danger!
Who is running this show anyway? Apparently not someone who can get the job done. Time for replacements.
Eyman this, excise tax that - The Washington State Ferry System is the traditional centerpiece of our local transportation system.
REGARDLESS of the politics - ultimately IT IS THE STATE'S RESPONSIBILITY to ensure the ferry system is taken care of. PERIOD. The fact that recent decades of administrations have ineptly neglected it is nothing short of shameful.Â
Looks like the under worked and overpaid cant even keep the stupid boat running. How did a bad weld start leaking, looks like again there was no quality control on this WDOT project, Just like the faulty pontoons for 520Â
 @Brett Jeffery The ignorant are running rampant tonight!
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The M.V. Sealth was built in 1982. It wasn't delivered to the state until 1985 because the state was suing the builder and refused to accept the boat.The crack was discovered in a routine inspection last Thursday night and the state pulled the Sealth on Friday afternoon after the 3 o'clock sailing. There was nothing about quality control and there is absolutely zero relation to State Route 520. The Sealth is 30 years old. Cracks can and do occur!
 @StevenRosenow  @Brett Jeffery And, the Klahowya is 54 years old. The engineers on the vessels mostly work on just one boat and are usually very passionate about their ship. They don't just sit there and wait for something to happen. They are very dedicated to what they do...and NOT overpaid.Â
Now on the other hand, take the WSF management office...Now there's underworked and overpaid at it's finest.
Sorry Marinechief, as I'm sure you know the ferries are part of the Highway system. When the jack up the rate to go over Snoqualmie Pass then they can raise ferry rates.
 @lmdk2 I forgot that. I do understand why it is not so easy to raise fares to meet expenses at this point. Thanks.
 @Marinechiefengineer Expenses were paid with the motor vehicle excise tax, which Tim Eyeman and his cronies ridiculously repealed through their ill-conceived Initiative 695.Â
 @RTNavy  @StevenRosenow  @MarinechiefengineerÂ
I have never used the Keller ferry in Eastern WA that charges nothing, but I pay for that. And now they are getting a new boat on the taxpayer's dime. I also pay a huge amount for snow removal and road maintenance in eastern WA, in spite of my driving there a total of 5 times in 20 yrs. Never used a Ferry county road at all. And even though this county services many less people then Whidbey or Vashon, we are paying for every snowplow and pothole.
 @RTNavy Which is what the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax was. ;) And by the way, I don't think people in Eastern Washington or people in say, Lewis County or points south shouldn't complain when taxes maintain our ferries up here. I don't begrudge my gas tax percentage to pay for the repair and maintenance of roads in the Tri-Cities or in Grays Harbor Counties - roads I never drive on. The rest of the state should see it the same way. :)
 @StevenRosenow  @Marinechiefengineer Actually they were paid by every driver, whether they used the ferrys or not. At least taxes on cars were paying for the roads they ALL use.
 @StevenRosenow Thanks I appreciate the info. I had for
gotten that as well.
In a nutshell:
US Coast Guard issues each domestically flagged ship (oil tankers, container ships, passenger ships) a Certificate of Inspection (COI) document that dictates minimum crew manning (Officers and Crew) and safety gear (fire hoses, lifejackets, etc). The State and Unions have no say in this.
For years, WSF voluntarily dispatched an extra person beyond this document on most of the boats. Not a bad idea when certified to carry up to 2,500 people....and if somebody couldn't make it unexpectedly, the ship could still legally sail. No problem.
Recently, the State decided to break policy and dispatch only what was required to meet minimum COI. Now if someone can't make it, the Captain can't legally sail the ship.
After learning of this, US Coast Guard thinks that State policy isn't a good idea and decides to issue new COI's for some of the boats restoring the manning to where the State had voluntarily set it before. Now the manning is back to where it was (or in some cases in excess of where it was originally), but by legal mandate leaving still no cushion to legally sail if someone can't make it for any reason.
I don't work for the ferries, but I do work in the maritime industry....and in my opinion having only 6 unlicensed deck crew (which is where the state set the bar before the Coast Guard intervened) to be responsible for guiding up to 2,500 people in an emergency is insufficient. Â
The state should just jack up the rate for the service level these people seem to want. Or better yet let a shipping company manage it for the state and let the prices rise to where they should be. I am sick of tourists invading the peninsula anyway.
@Marinechiefengineer I work for a maritime shipping company; we do own and operate container ships. It would not make it any cheaper if a private entity or government agency ran the operation. There would be overhead to pay if a private company ran the system, so it would not be any cheaper. All that needs to happen is for Paula Hammond to go, and the rest of the upper management in the WSF to be replaced.
 @northwestsurfer  @Marinechiefengineer
If memory serves Black Ball Ferry ran at a profit til the state put them out of business by passing a law that only allowed the state to operate ferries.Â
The state ferry system is subsidized by the taxpayers and still cannot make a profit.
Why should this be surprising! The state cannot do anything within budget constraints. Rumor has it that is because "They don't have to".
@FROGGY @Marinechiefengineer Wikipedia is very useful at clearing foggy memories, which yours is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puget_Sound_Navigation_Company
"The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Joshua Green in 1913.[1] It operated a fleet of steamboats and ferries on Puget Sound in Washington and the Georgia Strait in British Columbia. Known colloquially as the Black Ball Line, the PSNC achieved a "virtual monopoly" on cross-sound traffic in the 1930s and competed with the Canadian Pacific Railway's steamships on several routes.[2]
Before 1927, when the company was controlled by Joshua Green, the house flag consisted of a design by Mrs. Green, a red star on a white diamond on a blue background. After 1927, when Joshua Green sold his interest to the Peabody family, the Black Ball company flag was transferred over to Puget Sound Navigation Co., and the company became known as the Black Ball Line.[3]
The new Black Ball flag.
PSNC began to struggle following World War II, as operating costs increased and its unions threatened strike action. PSNC petitioned the State Utilities Commission for permission to raise its fares, but was rebuffed. Following a long series of court battles, PSNC's unionized employees finally called a strike. The company responded not by hiring strike breakers, but by halting operations, hoping public pressure would convince the State to permit a fare increase. The State declined to intervene, and PSNC eventually sold its domestic operations assets to the state of Washington's Department of Transportation for the sum of $4.9 million in early 1951, creating Washington State Ferries on May 31"
 @Marinechiefengineer You couldn't come across as more ignorant. Those tourists you despise help keep the economy flowing on the peninsula and helps keep many businesses afloat and families with jobs and income to support themselves.The ferries are a vital link to that.Â
 @StevenRosenow Yeah like minimum wage service jobs. Wow
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'The new repairs come as cancellations pile up this year thanks, in part, to a steep increase in ferry workers calling in sick'.
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I'm not sure how to interpret this statement.
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Barring catostrophic failure, Ferry maintenence has ALWAYS been done in the off season. This is also the cold and flu season.
The voters wanted to slash the budget, and THIS is what ya get for it. The Captain calls in sick cuz he's lurching his guts out, and there's no replacement. Thank You!
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I wanna live here and work over there. Damn those folks that get sick and interupt MY life!
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Go whine somewhere else.
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