Newest state ferry begins carrying customers

MUKILTEO –Washington State Ferries will begin to carry passengers aboard the newest state ferry, Suquamish, with a 12:30 p.m. sailing from Clinton this afternoon, Thursday, Oct. 4.

The Suquamish, is the fourth and last funded, Olympic Class ferry. The new ferry’s name means “people of the clear salt water” in Southern Coast Salish Lushootseed language.

While Suquamish is the last currently funded new ferry, Washington State Ferries is developing a Long Range Plan to address future vessel needs. The plan will be delivered to the legislature in January.

“The plan recommends building new vessels to replace the oldest ferries in the fleet,” said Ferries head Amy Scarton. “Just to maintain current service levels, thirteen of our oldest ferries will need to be replaced by 2040, and we’re recommending building sixteen new vessels in total to continue to provide reliable service.”

The ferry will operate on the Mukilteo/Clinton route during the busy summer season and will also serve as a maintenance relief vessel filling in when other vessels are unavailable on other routes.
Suquamish facts:
• 144 vehicle and 1,500 passenger capacity.
• $122 million to construct, in addition to equipment provided by Washington State Ferries.
• Constructed by ship builder Vigor in Seattle.
• Cleanest vessel in the fleet. Meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 emission standards.
Washington State Ferries, a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation, is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and safely and efficiently carries 25 million people a year through some of the most majestic scenery in the world. For breaking news and the latest information, follow WSF on Twitter.