Peninsula Daily News and news services
PORT ANGELES — The former Washington state foot ferry that sank off Africa with more than 280 people on board was in Port Angeles with its sister ferry last year.
Then it was the MV Skagit, the ferry was identified as the one that sank Wednesday off the east African coast. At least 31 died.
The MV Skagit, along with the MV Kalama, were temporarily moored at Port Angeles Boat Haven in March 2011.
They had been sold earlier that year by Washington State Ferries to Scope Community Consultants Ltd. of Port Coquitlam, B.C., for $400,000.
Once the boats cleared Customs, they sailed to Nanaimo, B.C., where they were removed from the water and transported by cargo ship to Tanzania.
On Wednesday, the former MV Skagit, renamed MV Salama, set sail from mainland Tanzania at around midday for Zanzibar, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago and a popular tourist destination.
“The ferry is bottom-up, and rescue operations are ongoing. So far we have not confirmed any deaths,” said a safety officer at the Zanzibar Port Corp. who identified himself as Khamis to the British news service Reuters.
Other authorities said the death toll was at least 31.
The Salama, which means “peace” in the local Swahili language, was carrying 250 adult passengers and 31 children, police said.
It was still unclear what caused the sinking near Chumbe Island, west of Zanzibar.
The ferry is owned by a company named Seagull, which also runs a number of other ferries, including the former Kalama.
