Steve Nevey, WSDOT Deputy Secretary for Washington State Ferries, shared information in the WSF weekly update on the progress towards acquiring the hybrid ferries. WSF’s long range plan is to have 26 ferries (currently the fleet has 21) by 2040.

“This week, we took a big step closer to getting them. On Monday, we opened bids to build up to five new hybrid-electric 160-auto vessels. Three shipyards were prequalified to bid, and we received bids from two: Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Florida and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island. We’re working to evaluate the bid documents and supporting information before we award. This is an exciting milestone in our ship building mission towards a more reliable and clean future.

“Once the contract is signed, the shipyard will contribute their expertise to complete the design. This should take about a year. Construction will follow. We are also offering incentives for early delivery. When terminals are electrified, these new vessels will run mostly on electric power and cut emissions by about 90% compared to the ferries they replace. They’ll use diesel only when needed. We’ll electrify 16 terminals, the first five – Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Clinton, Kingston and Seattle – are already in progress. I look forward to the next steps in this process and getting work started on new vessels.” – Steve Nevey