Where's the Wenatchee? Why the first ride isn't the finish line

By: Kurt Workman

Few things are more exciting at Washington State Ferries than the day a new or recently upgraded vessel carries its first passengers. It’s always a day of celebration, but it’s also an important milestone in a long journey.

The Wenatchee, North America's largest hybrid-electric ferry, arrives at Seattle’s Colman Dock ferry terminal.

Behind the scenes, our crews and engineers know it’s the final stage of a critical phase known as commissioning. Commissioning is an intensive process of troubleshooting and fine-tuning. This final stage can only take place in real-world conditions. There’s no way to simulate a fully loaded ferry on a busy route.

The Wenatchee, one of our three largest ferries ( Jumbo Mark II class ), is currently in this final stage. Like any complex overhaul, a few issues have surfaced.

Upgrading a 27-year-old ferry is no small feat. The Wenatchee now has a modern propulsion system, new ship controls and hybrid-electric power. This was an engineering challenge few have attempted on a vessel of this size. The Wenatchee is now North America’s largest hybrid-electric passenger ferry. It may take several weeks, but once fully commissioned, it will offer a cleaner, quieter and more reliable ride on our Seattle/Bainbridge Island crossing. Check out this video for a look at the conversion process.

Testing, tweaking and troubleshooting

Commissioning of the Wenatchee began at the shipyard. Crews worked through a long list of issues, most of which were quickly identified and resolved. When Wenatchee returned to us, testing continued for several months. Over time, fewer problems emerged. The U.S. Coast Guard provided approvals at each stage of the process. Eventually, the vessel was deemed ready for regular service. However, this did not mark the end of the commissioning process.

It’s common for occasional issues to surface during a vessel's early days of operation. In fact, a planned maintenance window was already built into the schedule in late September to mid-October, when the Wenatchee will be out of service. This was to address some items the team expected to discover.

When issues do arise, it often happens under rare or infrequent conditions. While these are not safety concerns, they can be time-consuming to address due to their inconsistency. It’s key during this time to maintain strong contingency plans, including having extra engineering staff on board and staging backup ferries. These preparations have helped minimize service disruptions when we’ve taken the Wenatchee out of service.

Our Director of Vessel Maintenance and Engineering, Forrest Nichols, explained it this way: “Just last month, the Chimacum had to go back into dry dock after completing a three-month dry dock project due to an issue with the controllable pitch propeller. This issue wasn’t discovered until late-stage commissioning of the work performed. Especially when new systems are fitted to old equipment, unexpected problems are extremely common.”

Working toward long-term solutions

During testing, crews identified a rare issue with the drive motor system. This is something that didn’t appear earlier. The problem isn’t related to the hybrid-electric conversion. It involves the propulsion system, which was also upgraded during the overhaul.

Because the issue only appears intermittently, it’s hard to diagnose. It’s even harder to confirm whether the fix worked. The upside? Crews can now recognize the signs, pinpoint the involved equipment and have a strong lead on the likely cause. The challenge is that it’s complex and unpredictable, so solving it takes time and further testing.

As we continue the commissioning process, our team is confident in a long-term fix. This will keep the Wenatchee running safely and reliably for years to come.

“We do not expect this to be the last issue in this commissioning process, but we do expect the rate and significance of challenges to decrease as we progress forward in this process,” Nichols said.

Powering progress

The Wenatchee upgrade is just one step in our 2040 Long Range Plan. Upcoming work includes key project areas for ferry system electrification:

• Building new hybrid-electric vessels, including two currently under contract (with an option for a third)
• Adding shore charging at key central Puget Sound terminals

Stay tuned for many more stories about our quest to build a cleaner, more reliable and more modern fleet, serving Washingtonians and our visitors for decades to come.