Due to a shortage of spare vessels, Kitsap Transit fast ferry riders may experience more trip cancellations in the coming weeks on all three of its cross-sound routes.
The M/V Finest is operating the Kingston/Seattle route, while the M/V Enetai is serving the Southworth/Seattle route. Neither route has a spare vessel available. Additionally, the two-boat Bremerton/Seattle route will face the same challenge starting Oct. 29, per a KT news release.
Without a spare vessel, the agency may be forced to cancel all service on a ferry route until the vessel can be repaired. The Enetai is currently the only vessel capable of docking at the Washington State Ferries’ automobile slip at Southworth.
The vessel shortage stems from three KT ferries going out of service for required repairs and U.S. Coast Guard dry dock inspections:
M/V Commander: The 250-passenger vessel typically operates the Kingston/Seattle route and is currently at a shipyard. KT expects to have Commander back in service by the end of November.
M/V Solano: The 250-passenger vessel backs up Enetai on the Southworth/Seattle route and is expected to return in early February of next year.
M/V Rich Passage 1: The 118-passenger vessel supports the Bremerton/Seattle route and will head to a shipyard on Oct. 29 and is expected back in service by the end of November.
On Oct. 22, a mechanical issue with Finest forced KT to cancel four of the afternoon’s six Kingston sailings, the release says.
Alternative options
If fast ferry sailings are canceled, KT riders can use these existing alternatives:
Kingston: Route 391-Kingston/Bainbridge and WSF Seattle/Bainbridge
Southworth: WSF Southworth/Vashon and King County Water Taxi Vashon/Seattle
Bremerton: WSF Bremerton/Seattle
Customers can consult the ferry route’s schedule at kitsaptransit.com/ferries for details on alternative travel options in the event of multiple ferry cancellations.
Fast ferry passholders who wish to request a refund for their WSF ticket purchased due to fast ferry cancellations should email fastferryfares@kitsaptransit.com and include the following information: date/time of canceled fast ferry service, ORCA number, copy of WSF receipt, first and last name, phone number, and mailing address (for check delivery).
Alerts
KT encourages fast ferry customers to sign up for rider alerts by visiting kitsaptransit.com/alerts.
Starting Oct. 24, riders who are subscribed to alerts for specific local foot ferry and fast ferry routes will begin receiving automatic notifications if a ferry trip on their routes is canceled. Subscribers should pay attention to the “start date” and “end date” listed in the alert, as well as the affected time points listed.
“Prior to implementing this feature, Kitsap Transit issued alerts manually on a case-by-case basis,” the release says. “The goal of the automatic alert system is to provide riders with more timely and accurate alerts when a ferry trip is canceled. Because the alerts are generated by software, they will follow templated language and have fewer details than alerts written by Kitsap Transit staff.”
