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County and city elected officials from WSF-served communities,
Good morning.
Earlier this year, Governor Ferguson directed WSF to focus on service restoration and reliability. With our Vessel Maintenance and Preservation team already working to have as many
vessels as possible available this summer, and a significant increase in crewing due to the new workforce programs the governor supported and the legislature funded, we’re now able
to add service we previously hadn’t planned to do until new vessels arrive in three years.
Today we’re releasing an updated Service Contingency Plan <https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/WSF-Service-Contingency-Plan-2025.pdf> , which details service restoration
as well as its usual explanation of how we’ll respond to unplanned service disruptions. The restoration highlights:
* The Seattle/Bremerton route will return to its pre-pandemic two-boat schedule starting Sunday, June 15.
* The Fauntleroy/Southworth/Vashon “Triangle” route will resume its pre-pandemic three-boat schedule beginning Monday, June 30. Because the Triangle’s three-boat schedule is reliant
on a specific type of vessel, we expect that three-boat service to operate until next spring, when there will be a few weeks when we’ll have to operate a two-boat schedule with a third,
smaller “bonus” boat and an improved two-boat schedule. This is a reminder that while we’ll have 18 vessels available for service, they won’t always be the “right” 18 boats we need
for specific terminals.
* A second vessel will operate on the Port Townsend/Coupeville run every Friday through Monday from July 4 through the end of the route’s pre-pandemic shoulder season concluding on Oct.
13.
It’s important to note crewing these additional watches will decrease the number of on-calls we have available for relief requests, so they may take longer to fill. Our dispatch team
does an amazing job quickly filling relief requests, but that will be more challenging with three more vessels being crewed each day. We’re confident we’re making the right call in
providing as much service as possible while continuing to minimize cancellations due to crewing.
This morning in an email to colleagues announcing service restoration, I thanked them for their work through the pandemic, reduced service due to crewing and vessel availability, summer
heat, and winter storms. This increase in service wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of my colleagues who get up every day focused on safely transporting our customers to their
destinations. Thank you for all you do to support us in that service. This is a milestone for us all to celebrate.
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
John
John B. Vezina (He/Him/His)
Deputy Assistant Secretary | Washington State Ferries <https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries>
Cell: 206.473.9945 | Email: John.Vezina@wsdot.wa.gov <mailto:John.Vezina@wsdot.wa.gov>