State's first hybrid-electric ferry out of shipyard, nearing return to service
The Wenatchee ferry, which has been at Vigor's Seattle shipyard being retro-fitted for nearly the past two years, is now at WSF's maintenance facility on Bainbridge Island. It will next undergo sea trials, and is scheduled to return to service this summer on the Bainbridge-Seattle run.
According to an announcement from Vigor, the 202-car Wenatchee is the largest ferry in the United States to be converted to run on electric power. Two diesel generators were removed from the Wenatchee as part of the project, which then added two battery rooms that house 864 battery modules. New propulsion controls were added, as well as new electric and fiber optic cable around the vessel, according to Vigor.
The Wenatchee will now be stationed at Eagle Harbor for final work to prepare the ferry for service, including crew training and Coast Guard certification.
Two other ferries of the same class, known as Jumbo Mark II, had been slated to follow the Wenatchee into conversion immediately, part of a state effort to shift the fleet away from diesel power by 2050. Vigor won the bid for those three boats at a cost of $150 million, and the Wenatchee was initially anticipated to be delivered for service in 2024.
In March the state announced that those two boats, the Tacoma and the Puyallup, will not be converted until after the 2026 World Cup, when many tourists are anticipated to arrive for the soccer games hosted in Seattle. That directive from Gov. Bob Ferguson led to the announcement that the ferry system will restore several routes, including Bremerton-Seattle, to full service in June.
The electrification plan also calls for the building of 16 new hybrid-electric ferries in coming decades, and bids for construction of five, 160-car boats were opened in May. WSF is currently evaluating proposals from two bidders, Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Florida and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island.
This week WSF also issued an update on a related project, which will install new electric charging systems at ferry terminals around Puget Sound in anticipation of a hybrid-electric fleet. The agency said Monday that an announcement to award a contract is expected soon, and in-water exploration at two sites, Bainbridge Island and Seattle, will begin in June.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Washington state's first hybrid-electric ferry conversion complete
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