PORT TOWNSEND — The Steilacoom II ferry will be out of service Saturday and Sunday, making way for an annual Coast Guard inspection of the 50-car vessel that Washington State Ferries leases from Pierce County.
The final run out of Port Townsend to Keystone on Whidbey Island will be at 8:30 p.m. today.
“They may get the annual inspection done earlier than two days,” said ferries system spokeswoman Susan Harris-Heuther.
“If we do, we will alert the people who have e-mail alerts.”
To sign up for free e-mail alerts about service disruptions and other route information, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/email_alerts.
State ferries are required by federal regulations to be inspected annually. State ferries system officials consulted with community stakeholders from Port Townsend and Coupeville to plan the timing of the Steilacoom II inspection.
The Coast Guard is making an exception to permit the short time frame for the inspection, Harris-Heuther said.
Usually it takes two weeks to conduct inspections and test ferry workers on safety measures.
Those two-week inspections are done at the state ferries system’s Eagle Harbor maintenance facility on Bainbridge Island.
However, because state ferries has no other vessels that can operate on the Port Townsend-Keystone route, a two-day inspection will be done at Port Townsend rather than at Eagle Harbor.
Other routes
The state ferries system advices customers to use the Edmonds-Kingston and Mukilteo-Clinton ferries as alternate routes between the North Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island.
Washington State Ferries offers ride vouchers for Port Townsend-Keystone vehicle multi-ride ticket and monthly pass customers during planned closures such as the Steilacoom II annual inspection.
Ferry passengers can present tickets at Clinton or Kingston by informing the ticket seller they are continuing on and using another ferry, Edmonds or Mukilteo, to get to the final destination.
Ticket sellers scan one ride from the Port Townsend-Keystone multi-ride ticket and issue one voucher for travel through Edmonds or Mukilteo, depending on a passenger’s destination.
The monthly pass walk-on passenger ride-voucher program is not in effect because passenger-only service is not being offered during the weekend closure.
For more information about the ride voucher program, contact state ferries customer information at wsfinfo@wsdot.wa.gov or phone 206-464-6400.
The Steilacoom II will serve the Port Townsend-Keystone route until a new 64-car ferry is constructed at Todd Pacific Shipyard in Seattle and launched sometime this summer after sea trials.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
