PORT TOWNSEND — The same rudder problem that sidelined the MV Salish and delayed two-boat service on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route for two weeks will keep the MV Kennewick out of commission until mid-July, Washington State Ferries said Wednesday.
A routine dive check on the vessel Wednesday morning disclosed unexpected wear on the rudder flap, according to Ian Sterling, spokesman for the state ferries system.
“This is a wear part like the brake pad on your car, and we expected it to give out, although not this quickly,” Sterling said.
Pulling the Kennewick cut service on the route by 50 percent Wednesday, bringing it back to one-boat service.
The ferry system is expected today to announce if two-boat service will be restored through using another ferry.
The Salish, Kennewick and Chetzemoka, which is now on the Port Defiance-Tahlequah route, are Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries, the only vessels that can navigate Keystone Harbor to the Coupeville terminal.
Because the problem has affected the other vessels, the ferry system will conduct an immediate dive test on the Chetzemoka to determine rudder wear, Sterling said.
If it is in good repair, it could be moved to the Port Townsend-Coupeville route, with another vessel pulled in as a substitute on the southern route.
If the wear is present, the Chetzemoka will be taken out of commission for repairs, which Sterling acknowledged could be “a very big deal.”
The repair time is extended due to a lack of dry-dock space, Sterling said.
“We know how to fix this,” he said. “But we are restricted by a lack of dry-dock space, which tends to be rare in the summer.”
Two-boat service went into effect on the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route May 27 this season because of a problem found with the Salish.
The Salish was scheduled to join the Kennewick on the route May 6, but a routine inspection found that one of the three rudder parts had shown severe wear and needed replacement.
During repairs, it was discovered that one other propeller needed the same work, according to state ferries.
For more information about state ferries, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
