2011 Significant Boats

Todd Pacific Shipyards/Vigor Shipyards [and Vigor's US Fab new-build subsidiary] delivered three new ferries to Washington State Ferries over the past 12 months. One of the significant aspects of these new boats is the fact that they are the first new additions to the fleet in over 10 years. The 64-car, 750-passenger ferries Chetzemoka, Salish, and Kennewick are 273'8"64' double-enders that are all members of the Kwa-di Tabil class. The M/V Chetzemoka has REINTJES gears with fixed pitch propellers, but the M/V's Salish and Kennewick both have REINTJES gears with BERG CP propellers.

Another significant feature of these new ferries is their asymmetrical design, which features two passenger stairwell towers on one side of the boat, two elevators, the air intakes and exhaust stacks. A crew-only stairwell is also located in this part of the structure.

Because of this lopsidedness, the fuel tanks are located on the opposite side to help balance the weight, but unless vehicles are carefully loaded, there's a slight list.

Passengers can also take the stairs to the top sun deck and sit, stand or stroll in the area between the two raised pilothouses.

Capt. George A. Capacci, deputy chief, operations and construction for the Washington State Department of Transportation/Ferries Division, said the Chetzemoka has performed admirably since entry into service on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route in November 2010. The vessel has been very reliable and navigates the confines of Keystone Harbor very well. The Salish entered revenue service on July 1, 2011, restoring two-vessel service to this route for the first time since November 2007 when the Steel Electric ferries were taken out of service.

Then on Halloween, WSF accepted the Kennewick, three months ahead of schedule. Capacci said everyone involved is proud to say the entire three-ship procurement is $6.8 million under budget. Following outfitting, trials and crew training, the Kennewick will enter revenue service in January 2012.

These vessels are extremely significant to Washington State Ferries as the state of Washington recapitalizes its fleet, and to its customers who depend on safe, reliable, and efficient marine transportation to carry on their daily lives crossing Puget Sound, Capacci said.

See article on www.workboat.com.