By Professor John Robertson, International Ferry Correspondent

Washington State has a population of 8 million, around 50% more than Scotland but it’s coastal islands off Seattle, sit in far milder and less stormy seas than on the West coast of Scotland. It’s GDP of around $680 billion is significantly higher than that of Scotland at $230bn (£187bn) but despite that Washington State Ferries (privately owned with dividend holders) may be the worst in the developed world.

From King-TV Seattle, yesterday:

Governor-elect Bob Ferguson boarded a state ferry Wednesday and sailed into uncharted waters on Wednesday. The state ferry system is sinking, with a budget deficit of at least $10 billion [but paid dividends to shareholders] over the next four years. Ferguson minced no words.

“It’s a front-burner issue,” Ferguson said. “When you have a crisis you have to act like it’s a crisis.“

But that won’t happen for years. Half of the fleet is more than 30 years old. Some boats are more than 50 years old. That means ferries increasingly break down, as does the workforce.

A wave of retirements brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic swept across Washington State Ferries, meaning a single sick call can snarl the entire system. Ferguson spoke of school-aged children who had been stranded at ferry docks when boats went out of service. 

In 2023 there were 4,000 route cancellations.

^{https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ferguson-washingtons-ferry-system-is-in-crisis/ar-BB1r7MfK?ocid=BingNewsVerp}

How does CalMac compare?

Affluent Washington State has only 15 out of 21 ferries serviceable and new ferries will not arrive till 2028 – CalMac has 32 out of 34 in service and four arriving this year or next for a smaller population

From King TV, Seattle, USA, in November 2024:

Residents said they are thankful for the ferries and they are special to the area. But the shortage of boats can cause issues. Right now, three routes are not running at full service and sometimes ferries need to be moved around to help fill gaps.

“That puts us in trouble when we’re trying to get back and forth all the time and they’re down a ferry, then it’s backed up at the ferry terminal, so that gets to be a pain,” said Judy Lindquist, a Port Orchard resident.

Lindquist takes the ferry twice a month to see her mother who lives near Everett. She said it is important to be prepared for the summer months when it gets much busier.

“I’ll drive around in the summer if I have to come over on a weekend,” Lindquist said. ”I normally try to come during the week.”

WSF has 21 boats in its fleet, but only 15 are currently in service. To have all routes fully restored WSF needs 26 boats. According to a contingency plan released earlier this year, new ferries are not expected until 2028.

Washington State, USA, population 7.7 million, GDP $725 billion or £573 billion.

Scotland, population 5.5 million, GDP £212 billion.

Washington State’s GDP, adjusted for population is around twice that of Scotland.

Yet:

In 2023, (Washington State Ferries) had 1,560 annual crew cancellations while scheduling only 70% of its regular service.

In the same year, CalMac, in a country with only half the level of wealth and in more northerly, colder and stormier seas managed 95.4%.

Be careful what you wish for Reggie Mountbatten-Windsor of South Uist.

Sources:

1. https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/us/washington-state-ferries-prepare-for-busy-summer-season-still-facing-shortage-of-boats/ar-BB1mxjfZ?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
2. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/was-farcical-ferry-fleet
3. https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser?date=21%2F02%2F2023

From an earlier report here:

August 24, 2024, in the Vashon Island Beachcomber, Seattle, USA:

Washington State Ferries (WSF) has dropped its COVID-era ferry restoration plan and now says full, lasting restoration on all of its routes will likely have to wait until the agency can get its first new ferries — at least 2028. Even though new vessels are projected to begin arriving in 2028, “full, permanent service restoration may be gradual and will remain dependent on vessel availability,” the new WSF plan says.

In 2023, Washington State USA, had a GDP of $672 billion¹. Scotland’s GDP was $218 billion², not even a third.

Despite that CalMac runs more than 500 sailings per day to 50 locations at 95% reliability³ with vessels averaging 24 years old⁴ and prices subsidised

WSF operates 21 vessels to 20 locations. For WSF, the average age is not published but 11 of the 21 are over 40 years old.^5. 

The Scottish Government subsidy to make prices affordable to all, is £29.80 per journey For WSF, subsidy data per journey is not available but a 15 minute crossing from Vashon Island to Seattle costs $27 or £22 while a comparable crossing from Largs to Cumbrae is £13.90.

Sources:

1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/188145/gdp-of-the-us-federal-state-of-washington-since-1997/#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20the%20real%20gross,at%20641.14%20billion%20U.S.%20dollars.
2. https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/regionaleconomicactivitybygrossdomesticproductuk/1998to2021#gross-domestic-product-by-uk-country-and-region
3. https://www.calmac.co.uk/calmac-performance-data-browser
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry_Fiasco_(Scotland)#:~:text=Delays%20and%20cancellations%20in%20recent,their%20vessels%20being%2024%20years.
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_State_Ferries