From the Washington State Standard:
Budget writers in the Washington Legislature on Monday declared their intent to eventually buy more hybrid electric ferries to modernize the state ferry fleet.
But newly unveiled House and Senate transportation spending proposals left at the dock a $1 billion borrowing request from the governor to pay the tab, raising doubts about when and how a new shipyard order might happen. The budget plans would also further pause the conversion of existing diesel ferries to electric power.
Washington State Ferries urgently needs more vessels — and more reliable vessels. The average age of the fleet is 35 years old. Five of the state’s iconic green-and-white car ferries are well over 50 years old. The ferry system currently doesn’t have a backup ferry available to fill in during the inevitable breakdowns.
and:
The long timelines to build new ferries raise the unsettling prospect of still more years of disruption from breakdowns of aging boats. This has created an opening for outsiders to pitch near-term alternatives to boost service.
A Seattle shipyard named Stabbert Maritime has a pending proposal with the ferry system to refurbish and reactivate two retired state ferries, the 144-car Hyak and the 87-car Klahowya. Meanwhile, a hydrogen ferry startup named Switch Maritime is proposing to build a new 80-car zero-emission ferry and lease it to the state for use in the San Juan Islands.
TheHyak is 69 and the Klahowya is 68 years old! Imagine if CalMac had an idea like that?
The oldest CalMac large ferry is the 43 year-old, relief vessel, the MV Isle of Arran.
We’ve been looking at Washington State Ferries here for years since some Mull councillor suggested CalMac was the worst ferry service in the world and could learn from other parts.
Here’s what we learned in this affluent US state:
Talking-up Scotland 