The Wenatchee, seen here approaching Seattle in 2011, is expected to be out of service until summer 2025 for a hybrid-electric conversion project. (Keith Anderson/Washington State Department of Transportation)
When Washington State Ferries took its Jumbo Mark II vessel, the Wenatchee, out of service last September to convert it from diesel to hybrid-electric power, the plan was for the boat to be back in action sometime around late summer this year.
The agency now says it anticipates the project will take until summer 2025 to complete.
“There are no issues with the technology itself, but as is common with major vessel retrofits, we have faced some challenges in working this new technology into the existing vessel,” Matt von Ruden, administrator for Ferries’ electrification program, said in a statement last week.
He added that the agency and the shipbuilder completing the project, Vigor, “have largely tackled” the issues that created difficulties.
There will be a higher cost, Suanne Pelley, a spokesperson for the agency told the Standard on Friday. “Just time alone equals money,” she said, adding that Washington State Ferries is still evaluating what those costs will be with Vigor. “It’s definitely a back-and-forth conversation.”
The agency and Vigor agreed to a $100 million contract to convert the Wenatchee and another vessel, the Tacoma, to hybrid-electric power. There’s also an option to proceed with another $50 million conversion of a third boat, the Puyallup.
The three ferries were built in the late 1990s, each is about 460 feet long and can carry 202 cars and 2,499 people. Jumbo Mark II vessels are the largest vessels that Washington State Ferries operates.
Jumbo Mark II class vessels are the largest that Washington State Ferries operates. Also pictured here are drawings of the Jumbo and Super class boats. Not pictured are four smaller classes of vessels: Olympic, Issaquah, Evergreen and Kwa-di Tabil. For more on the agency’s fleet, see here. (Image courtesy of Washington State Ferries)
Conversion work on the Tacoma isn’t expected to start until the Wenatchee is back in service, Pelley said.
Washington State Ferries has 21 vessels and is running 15-boat service currently, with the Wenatchee out and another five vessels moving in and out of routes to accommodate scheduled maintenance or other work, or as needed for emergencies.
The agency is planning to receive bids in early 2025 on five new hybrid-electric boats.