SEATTLE — The official cause of a Washington State ferry boat grounding near Bainbridge Island last month was revealed Wednesday.
Washington State Ferries (WSF) found contaminated fuel led to generator failure on the Walla Walla, resulting in loss of propulsion and steering controls. The investigation into how the fuel was contaminated is ongoing.
The Walla Walla has multiple engines, generators and fuel tanks but it was just one fuel tank that was contaminated. Both the main generator and the backup generator failed.
There is a third way to restore power but it takes 90 seconds to kick on and at that point, the ferry was grounded.
All fuel currently on board has tested clean, according to WSF. New generator monitoring gauges have been installed on the Walla Walla and Spokane.
The Walla Walla was stranded along the Rich Passage near Bainbridge Island on April 15. The vessel, which was en route from Bremerton to Seattle, ran aground, meaning it was lying on or touching the ground under shallow water.
Initial indications were that the vessel suffered a generator failure, according to WSF.
The vessel was successfully re-floated during high tide overnight and brought safely to Bremerton with tugs assisting.
The United States Coast Guard said in a tweet that night that passengers were offloaded onto Kitsap Fast Ferry vessels. The first group of passengers was taken to Bremerton via Kitsap Transit just after 8:30 p.m., according to WSF.
There were 596 passengers and 15 crew members on board, but no injuries were reported, according to WSF.
"So we thought it was a joke," said Debbie O’Neill, a passenger who was on her way to a concert in Seattle. "And then over the intercom, the lights started flickering, flickering on and off."
O'Neill said passengers were told to brace for impact.
"So we had no idea like if we were crashing into another boat, and then we did just crash into like some dry lands," O'Neill said. "So I think the boat just scraped like the bottom because we were in shallow water."
Lawmakers like Rep. Jake Fey (D-Tacoma) are linking the grounding to the age of Washington’s ferry fleet. Fey’s bill, House Bill 1846, would require the state Department of Transportation to contract at least two new vessels and open the bidding process to builders in other states.
“In the current law we provide a national bid, there’s a 13% advantage to take into account the advantages of building it (in Washington) and the jobs that are created,” said Fey.
“We hate to see these boats and the jobs go to other states, so we’ll do our level best to compete as best we can with the bill,” said Jeff DeVere who represents Nichols Bros. Boat Builders on Whidbey Island.
DeVere said it’s hard to compete with states that don’t have the wage, health and environmental protections required in Washington. He estimates other states can build a ferry for 20% less than in western Washington.