Delays, vessel shortages affecting Kitsap ferry routes Tuesday

David Nelson, Kitsap Sun
·2 min read
Traffic is loaded onto the Washington State Ferry Kittitas at the Southworth ferry dock in this 2021 file photo. A problem with the radar on the Kittitas discovered Monday shuffled boats on the Bainbridge route, one of three Kitsap routes that saw delays and shortages Tuesday.
Traffic is loaded onto the Washington State Ferry Kittitas at the Southworth ferry dock in this 2021 file photo. A problem with the radar on the Kittitas discovered Monday shuffled boats on the Bainbridge route, one of three Kitsap routes that saw delays and shortages Tuesday.

Three of the four ferry routes from Kitsap County terminals faced delays and reduced service on Tuesday morning after new maintenance issues were reported on two Washington State Ferries vessels in recent days.

A morning sailing was canceled as schedules were altered on the Southworth-Fauntleroy-Vashon Tuesday due to delays, the morning after late-night runs on that route were canceled due to crew availability. The Kittitas, a 124-car ferry that has been one of two assigned to the route, was pulled off on Monday evening due to an issue with its radar, according to an announcement from Washington State Ferries. Repairs to "sensitive navigation equipment" were scheduled for Tuesday, said WSF, because the work needed to be done before rain arrived, which is forecast for Wednesday.

The work on the Kittitas then affected the Bainbridge-Seattle route, as the 124-car Issaquah ferry was moved to the Southworth route, to preserve two-boat service on what's known as the triangle route. Bainbridge was serviced by only the 202-car Tacoma while the work on the Kittitas was done. Early Tuesday WSF was planning on moving the Issaquah back to the Bainbridge route for afternoon runs.

Through the morning, the Tacoma was running about 20 minutes behind schedule, according to WSF.

The Edmonds-Kingston run is also on one-boat service, the 188-car Spokane, due to the vessel shortages. The 124-car Issaquah was moved off of the Kingston route, where it had been the second boat, on Saturday to fill in over the weekend on the Bremerton route. That move was needed after the 144-car Chimacum, one of the fleet's newest boats, was disabled due to a repair needed on one of its engines. The Chimacum could be out several weeks for repairs, the Seattle Times reported.

On Monday, WSF moved the 144-car Kaleetan vessel to the Bremerton route, shifting the Issaquah to Bainbridge Island.

The Bremerton-Seattle route has been on one-boat service for more than two years now, due to staffing and vessel availability, according to WSF. The Seattle Times reported Monday that WSF's fleet of 21 ferries had just 14 in service, before the radar problem on the Kittias was announced.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Kitsap ferry routes face delays, reduced service Tuesday