A preliminary investigation shows that a mechanical failure likely caused the Walla Walla ferry to run aground Saturday afternoon.
Nearly 600 passengers and their vehicles had to be off loaded, the vessel towed by tugboat to Bremerton.
Now attention is turning to the ferry system’s aging fleet.
But the state couldn’t reach a deal with a local shipyard to build them. So now legislators want to put the work out to bid across the nation.
The state legislature is taking steps this session to replace part of the fleet. Lawmakers already set aside $1 billion to build five new state-of-the art ferries with the aim of replacing old vessels like the Walla Walla.
Chopper 7 shows the Walla Walla, instead of ferrying passengers across Puget Sound, essentially in dry dock after it ran aground for only the second time in its history.
But after 50 long years of service, the Walla Walla is fast becoming a poster child for a pressing issue, the state’s ferry system and just how old it is.
“I think we’re up against the wall, so to speak,” said State Rep. Jake Fey, (D) Tacoma.
Fey says the state has been working for about a decade to build five new ferries. But the effort to strike a deal with a local shipbuilder has itself run aground.
Now legislators are poised to pass a bill that will open up the bidding process to all comers.
“We did the bill which allows for a national competition for up to two contracts to build the five ferries,” said Fey, “and to give 13% preference to vessels that are built in the state of Washington.”
Incredibly, the Walla Walla is not the fleet’s oldest vessel. That distinction belongs to the Tilikum. It celebrates its 64th birthday this month.
Obviously, none of the other 20 vessels is that old. But ferry officials have made no secret of the urgent need to update the fleet.
“Just like having an older car, right?” said Ian Sterling, Washington State Ferries spokesman. “It’s going to have more mechanical concerns. You’re going to have to keep putting money and effort into it.”
Sterling says they don’t know yet if age had anything to do with the Walla Walla’s failure. All they know is that whatever happened was mechanical.
But the investigation is not done yet. The Walla Walla is out of service, indefinitely, placing further strain on a ferry system already under stress.