A ferry sits at the Anacortes terminal Monday afternoon. Washington State Ferries announced last week that service between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C., will not be back until at least 2030.
A ferry sits at the Anacortes terminal Monday afternoon. Washington State Ferries announced last week that service between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C., will not be back until at least 2030.
The Washington State Ferries system is exploring all options when it comes to the Anacortes to Sidney route, Director of Planning, Customer, and Government Relations John Vezina told the City Council at its meeting Monday.
A recently released service plan update shows that the route isn't expected to be restored until at least 2030. The announcement caused concern among Anacortes leadership and community groups such as the Sister Cities Association.
Vezina told the City Council about why that decision was made and what options are still on the table.
It comes down to vessel availability, he said. The ferry system has limited and aging vessels. When things are tight, the domestic routes are the priority.
Three of the system's vessels are nearing an age when they are supposed to be retired from the fleet. Vezina said the Legislature is likely to fund some upgrades and repairs to these vessels that will keep them going for a few more years.
Last year, the Legislature approved $1 billion to fund new vessels and to convert others to electric. Vessels take time to make, though.
When it comes to the Sidney run, though, only a specific kind of boat will work. The boat must have SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) certification from the Coast Guard.
Now, only one vessel has this certification. The M/V Elwha, which used to make the run to Sidney, was retired a few years ago when the cost of repairs became so high that it was no longer feasible to keep it in service, Vezina said. The state sold the boat.
There are some options for getting a second boat certified. They include modifying a new boat and retrofitting an older one.
Modifying a new boat isn't a good option, because these new vessels are hybrid electric and putting an electric ferry on a long run such as the one to Sidney is not feasible, Vezina said. Retrofitting an old boat would likely cost about $20 million.
Another option is looking at other certifications that would allow the boat to travel internationally. One such certification would allow the boat to only have one domestic port and one international one, so the boat would be able to travel from Anacortes to Sidney but not stop in the San Juan Islands.
The ferry system is also looking at private companies that are looking to offer passenger-only service, such as from the San Juan Islands to Canada. This wouldn't a permanent takeover of service, but instead a stop-gap measure until service can be restored by Washington State Ferries, Vezina said.
The ferry system administration is actively exploring options, he said.
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