The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has returned the ferry Walla Walla ferry to service on the route linking Seattle with Bremerton.
The ferry ran aground in Rich Passage south of Bainbridge Island on April 15 after the vessel lost power due to contaminated fuel which led to a failure of its generator and backup systems that caused the loss of propulsion and steering controls, according to an investigation by the United States Coast Guard.
The cause of the contamination has not been determined but is still under investigation by the WSDOT.
Washington State Ferries, operator of the 440-foot vessel, said that 596 passengers, 15 crewmembers, and 175 vehicles were aboard Walla Walla when it ran aground.
The Kitsap Transit ferries Waterman and Commander were diverted to the scene and transferred passengers, who had donned life jackets, off the grounded vessel. Eventually, the two ferries made four roundtrips between Bremerton and the Walla Walla and moved 610 passengers and crew, the transit agency reported. The ferry Issaquah took over the grounded ferry’s route
Walla Walla was refloated at high tide the same day with tugboat assistance and was surveyed for damage. Preliminary dives did not find any serious damage.
“Damage is pretty minimal. It’s got some scratches on the hull, and the propeller is bent essentially a little bit,” said Ian Sterling with the Washington State Ferries at the time. “There is specialized machinery that can unbend a prop underwater. So the boat doesn’t have to come out of water; dry docking is really expensive for something the size of the state ferry, as you can imagine.”
The Jumbo-class Walla Walla was built in 1973 in Seattle and refurbished in 2003 and can carry a maximum 2,000 passengers and 188 vehicles. It has a diesel-electric propulsion system powered by four engines that generate 11,500 hp. and can reach a speed of 18 knots.