HomeMy WebLinkAbout062424 - WSF Weekly Service UpdateALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Good afternoon,
Here is this week’s WSF weekly service update. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Best,
Hadley
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WSF Weekly Media Highlights
Charting a New Course: Nurturing Washington’s Next Generation of Maritime Professionals <https://southseattleemerald.com/2024/06/07/opinion-charting-a-new-course-nurturing-washingtons-next-generatio
n-of-maritime-professionals/#more-115616>
Washington starts nationwide search for electric ferry builders <https://dispatchnews.com/news/2024/jun/12/washington-starts-nationwide-search-for-electric-ferry-builders/>
Major Issues of the Week
This weekend we had several service disruptions due to crewing. These cancellations included the San Juan Islands’ Interisland route, and a missed roundtrip sailing on the Bremerton/Seattle
route, suspending service due to its current one-boat service, to allow a relief time to get to the boat.
With the downsizing of several routes due to vessel assignments with smaller vehicle capacity, we also saw hours’ long lines on the Clinton/Mukilteo, Edmonds/Kingston, and Bainbridge/Seattle
routes.
Over the weekend an incorrect schedule was posted online for the Fauntleroy/Southworth/Vashon “Triangle” route, leading to customer confusion and frustration. We apologize for the mistake
and will put mechanisms in place to avoid it happening again.
Service Reliability*
For the week of June 17-23, systemwide service reliability was 98.1%. Last week we cancelled 58 of 2829 scheduled sailings, of which three were replaced. Of the 58 cancellations, 31%
(18) were due to crewing, 43% (25) for schedule resets (when a boat is so far behind schedule, we cancel a sailing to get it back on schedule, providing predictability for customers),
24% (14) were due to low tides, and 2% (1) for security reasons. Last week there were no cancellations due to vessel maintenance.
*For WSF, “reliability” refers to a scheduled sailing taking places, not on-time-performance. We understand for the public a significantly late sailing isn’t “reliable,” but we also
share on-time-performance data <https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/wsferries/viz/WSF-Public/Index> for transparency on both metrics.
Vessel Availability
We’re operating at our 15-vessel current service level, but last week began operating a third “bonus” boat on the Triangle route, with unscheduled operations focused on keeping the other
two boats on the route on schedule. We’ll operate the third boat weekdays, for one watch, when we have the vessel and crewing availability to do so. Customer feedback to the addition
has been overwhelming positive, although with comments they wish it could be all day and on weekends.
New Vessels and Jumbo Mark II Conversions
New Vessels – We have released the first part of an Invitation For Bid, allowing us to begin prequalifying shipyards, moving to selecting a shipyard(s) by the end of the year. We are
still scheduled to deliver two boats in 2028.
Hybrid Conversions – Work continues on the Wenatchee, the first Jumbo Mark II vessel undergoing its long-planned midlife propulsion upgrade. We will update you on significant project
milestones.
WSF Community Engagement
WSF Public Meetings
Last week, WSF management held two virtual public meetings, allowing customers to receive updates on WSF issues and over an hour in each to ask questions. Nearly 400 people attended
the two meetings, far surpassing past in-person outreach. If you’d like to watch the meetings, you can watch Monday’s here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxReKEUXGQI> and Tuesday’s
here <https://youtu.be/tXZCAXXuyxE> . Tuesday’s was recorded courtesy of TVW.