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Each January, there is a special edition recapping the previous year. View the 2024 Year in Review (PDF 670KB).

Here is the latest edition of the WSF Weekly Update:

March 6, 2025

A message from Steve

This morning, Gov. Bob Ferguson held his second press conference about WSF. He announced a decision that will allow us to restore more pre-pandemic service this summer. The governor will delay the hybrid-electric conversions of the next two Jumbo Mark II ferries until after the FIFA World Cup 26 matches in Seattle next year. This means all 21 of our vessels will be in the fleet, with 18 available for domestic service.

I thank Gov. Ferguson for his leadership as vessel and crewing availability are major constraints for restoring service. But our staffing situation is getting better thanks to programs launched over the past three years. They help new and existing employees get the credentials they need to advance. With these programs and the governor’s decision today, we’re well on course toward improved service across our system.

Recognizing women’s achievements

March is Women’s History Month and Saturday, March 8, is International Women’s Day. These celebrations highlight the progress made, but we should recognize women’s achievements every day. Women play vital roles at WSF. They work aboard our vessels, at our terminals, warehouse, Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility and headquarters. Women make up 22% of all our employees. This is a big step forward in a maritime industry long dominated by men. But there’s still more to be done. Expanding our candidate pool to include more women is essential to meet our current and future staffing goals. Our workforce must also better reflect the communities we serve. Let’s continue striving for a more inclusive and diverse ferry system – not just this month, but every month.

Addressing impaired drivers

Safety is at the heart of everything we do – aboard our ferries, at our terminals and on the roads leading to and from our facilities. That’s why we’ve strengthened our policy on impaired drivers. Our employees are trained to spot signs of impairment and take action to protect others. If terminal staff or vessel crews suspect a driver is impaired, they will contact law enforcement. This may delay loading or unloading until officers arrive. While our employees aren’t law enforcement, updated guidelines sent to them last week will help us identify, manage and report suspected impaired drivers, keeping other drivers safer.

Our earthquake response in action

A 4.5-magnitude tremor struck near Orcas Island early Monday. In seconds, our earthquake response policy went into action. It outlines immediate actions our employees should take during and after the event. Their priorities include staying safe, helping others and checking for damage. They also need to be ready for more quakes or a tsunami and manage emergency operations if needed. Staff across our Anacortes/San Juan Islands route felt the shake. With help from our marine operations watch supervisor, the terminals and ferries stayed in close contact until things were safe. The tremor caused no damage, but it was a valuable test of our earthquake readiness.

Biennial process to review and update fares

Every two years, we work with the Washington State Transportation Commission to review and update our fares. We have two meetings coming up with the Ferry Advisory Committee on Tariff. The group provides us with advice, input and feedback to develop a fare proposal to the Commission, which sets our fares based on targets determined by the state Legislature. The public is invited to listen in. Advance registration is required for today’s 4 p.m. meeting and the second one at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 3. You can comment on our tariff proposal at our virtual community meetings in late spring and during WSTC’s public comment period this summer. 

Fauntleroy terminal project virtual information session next week 

Want to learn more about the future of our Fauntleroy terminal? Join our virtual information session from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 11. Advance registration is required. We’ll share details on the dock concept we selected after extensive community engagement and input. Our recommendation will provide more space to load and unload passengers and fit more vehicles – 124 to 155 instead of the current 80. It also protects nearby Cove Park and minimizes environmental impacts. The public is also invited to visit the terminal replacement project’s online open house at any time through Friday, March 21. The open house and information session will include the same information. 

Daylight saving time and our sailing schedules

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead this weekend! Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 9. We will operate the full sailing day of Saturday, March 8, on Pacific Standard Time. We will operate on daylight saving time beginning with the first departures of the sailing day Sunday on each route.

Sailing stats for week of Feb. 24 to March 2

For the week of Feb. 24 to March 2, we completed 99.2% of our 2,728 scheduled sailings. This figure is separate from on-time performance. Of the 23 cancellations, 11 were 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), eight because of tidal currents and four due to crewing.

Customer kudos

“…Rave to Washington State Ferries, Anacortes Fire Department, Island Hospital and Harborview Medical Center. When I suffered a stroke onboard the ferry Kaleetan after departing Lopez, WSF personnel provided exceptional service, from finding a nurse among the passengers to putting on extra turns to reach port sooner. The Fire Department met me aboard and whisked me to Island Hospital, where the emergency department took care of me and arranged transport to HMC. …”

-Anacortes/San Juan Islands route customer in The Seattle Times

Steve Nevey
WSDOT Deputy Secretary for Washington State Ferries