BREMERTON — The state ferry system has added two private passenger-only ferries owned by Port Angeles-based Victoria Express to supplement the one car ferry remaining on the Seattle-Bremerton route.
The ferry Wenatchee was pulled from the Bainbridge-Seattle route late Sunday morning after a hard landing at Colman Dock in Seattle.
Bremerton’s 144-car Hyak replaced the Wenatchee on Sunday afternoon, and Monday morning swapped places with the 208-car Puyallup from the Kingston-Edmonds route.
To make up for the absence of a second boat on the Bremerton run, state ferry officials contracted with Victoria Express to provide two 149-passenger ferries for that route, spokeswoman Marta Coursey said. Victoria Express runs seasonal foot ferries from Port Angeles to Victoria, B.C., and Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands.
Passenger-only service between Bremerton and Seattle began at 3 p.m. Monday.
The two Victoria Express foot ferries will stay on the run until the damaged Wenatchee returns to service, possibly by Labor Day.
“In all likelihood, it will be by the end of the week,” Coursey said.
