Gov. Bob Ferguson said Thursday he was shelving the project to convert more of Washington State Ferries’ largest boats to electric power, a move he said would return the fleet to prepandemic service levels this summer.
The conversion work — part of the larger endeavor to completely electrify the state fleet, a cornerstone of former Gov. Jay Inslee’s environmental legacy — began with the electrification of the Wenatchee, which Ferguson said is now estimated to cost $86 million when complete, and $36 million more than anticipated.
The Jumbo Mark II-class vessel remains docked at Vigor Shipyards on Harbor Island in Seattle nearly two years after it was pulled from service for conversion. The boat is expected back on the water in June.
The decision signals that Ferguson is attempting to navigate a middle course between his predecessor’s all-in approach to electrifying the fleet, and calls to abandon the effort entirely if that meant the state fleet would be as reliable as it was in its heyday.
On Thursday, at least, Ferguson chose more boats over green boats.
“Right now we have to balance a lot of priorities,” said Ferguson, who stood at the Seattle Ferry Terminal flanked by ferry chief Steve Nevey, state transportation department head Julie Meredith and Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler. “My priority is returning service to full domestic service that we had back in 2019.”
Ferguson said WSF had enough crew members for the 18-boat service.
The conversions of other boats — such as the Tacoma and the Puyallup — would begin again sometime after the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to the region and would take between 12 and 16 months.
With the return of the Wenatchee, state officials said they will have three-boat service on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth triangle route, as well as two-boat service on the Seattle-Bremerton and Port Townsend-Coupeville routes. Service between Anacortes and British Columbia is not part of Ferguson’s immediate plan.
With Ferguson’s decision, which he signaled even before he was sworn in as governor, the Wenatchee will be the fleet’s only hybrid-electric boat until either the conversion project resumes, or the first new hybrid-electric boats are delivered, which isn’t expected until 2029 at the soonest and a year later than previously stated.
Ferguson on Thursday also announced he was promoting Nevey to his cabinet. Nevey was promoted to assistant secretary of transportation for WSF last year and is now the state’s deputy transportation secretary and attends cabinet meetings.
Since taking the lead of the state ferry system, Nevey has dealt with twin crises in staffing and a lack of boats, which wounded WSF’s service, ridership numbers and confidence.
Nevey has said he feels he has a handle on the staffing issue, and said Thursday that his agency is now back to the same crew level as before the pandemic. He credited Inslee and the Legislature with funding various programs to keep the staffing pipeline full, as 50% of deck and engine crew members become eligible for retirement in the next few years.
Those programs include an AB to Mate Program at the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies, which helps deckhands enter the pilothouse; the WSF Apprenticeship Program, a two-year apprenticeship that helps kids right out of high school become WSF employees; and a pilotage program, which pays for WSF employees to earn the qualifications to be a Puget Sound pilot, which is necessary for all captains and chief mates.
But the lack of boats remains a thorn in Nevey’s and many ferry riders’ sides.
The vessel shortage is what ultimately led Ferguson to delay the conversion project, more so than its cost. He said the jumbo ferries would be out of service too long and should be on the water as the state works to rebuild the fleet.
The state ferry system has been running a reduced schedule for years. It has 21 boats, but at any time up to six are out for maintenance, both planned and unplanned, which includes the Wenatchee. The state agency says it needs 26 boats to run at full service, and has relied on county-run foot ferries to buttress its diminished sailings.
Nevey said that Ferguson’s promise of return to full service didn’t mean sailings would never be canceled.
“We won’t have the redundancy we need,” he said, noting that he was confident the system would continue to see fewer cancellations and better reliability. He said there were 42 canceled sailings in the first two months of this year, compared with 147 in the first two months of 2023.
Ferguson also said the larger project to build new hybrid-electric ferries would continue. The state anticipates receiving construction bids in April for up to five electric-powered ferries and awarding a contract in June.
Vigor was originally on board to build those ferries, but negotiations with the state fell apart after the company said the first hybrid-electric boat would cost $400 million.
Still, Vigor was awarded the contract to convert the system’s largest boats — the Jumbo Mark II-class vessels Wenatchee, Tacoma and Puyallup — with an original cost estimate of $120 million. Now, the company is working on a $100 million contract to convert two boats, with the option to convert the third for an extra $50 million.
Ferguson said he had spoken personally with Vigor leadership about the delay, and there would be no financial penalty for the wait.
Benton Strong, Vigor’s spokesperson, said in a statement the company fully supports Ferguson’s decision.
“We have gained valuable insights through our work on the Wenatchee and will apply these lessons learned to support a smoother, more efficient process when the project resumes on the Tacoma,” Strong said.
As the largest vessels in the fleet, the jumbo boats can each carry 202 vehicles and 2,500 passengers; they sail the system’s busiest routes, from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and from Edmonds in Snohomish County to Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula.
When the Wenatchee sails again this summer, it will be loaded with batteries and diesel generators. Though there are still no shoreside charging stations, WSF said the boat would use 20% less fuel than before, and run like a hybrid automobile. Once shoreside charging is up and running, the boat will use 95% less fuel.