Washington State Terminates Sale of Retired Ferries After Tow Embarrassment

Two historic ferries had been slated to quietly slip away to their final fate except the deal went horribly wrong causing an embarrassment for Washington State Ferries. The decommissioned vessels are back at their dock, four seafarers scheduled to tow the vessels away are being deported, and everyone came in for bad publicity.

Washington State Ferries, a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington, had planned to make some space at its facilities by sending two outdated vessels for recycling. Instead, on Thursday the company reported the sale of the Elwha and the Klahowya had been terminated and the vessels are back on the market.

Last month, the company reported it had sold each of the vintage ferries for $100,000 to Nelson Armas of Ecuador. With approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, the new owner planned to transport the ferries by tow for recycling at a clean, green steel mill facility in Ecuador. Both boats were certified to be free of hazardous materials.

Elwha built in 1968 was one of four 144-car Super-class ferries. It measures 382 feet and is 2,800 gross tons, but became best known for several docking failures and problems during its career. It was rebuilt in 1991 and spent most of its career running to British Columbia before being decommissioned in 2020. The other ferry in this sale, Klahowya was built in 1958. It is an 87-car Evergreen State-class ferry that was decommissioned on July 1, 2017.  WSF hoped the sale would go smoothly because it also wants to dispose of the Hyak, a sister to Elwha that was decommissioned on June 30, 2019. It is taking up space at the Kingston terminal. The other ships of the class, Kaleetan and Yakima, are still in service.

Armas hired four crew members from Peru, Colombia, and Panama to tow the two ferries using the tugboat Wycliffe, a voyage that was expected to take 34 days to Ecuador. WSF agreed to a plan to have the vessels pulled out of its Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island, by a small Western Towboat Co. tug which would reposition the vessels. They were then to be attached to the ocean-going tug for the trip.

Instead, the hookup failed and there were reports of equipment failures with the tug. Ultimately, the small tug returned the two ferries to the repair yard while they hoped the problems would be sorted out. 

Following the malfunctioning and aborting of the towing job, the South American crew was stuck aboard the 60-year-old tug that according to various reports has had a troubled history. There were accusations that Armas also abandoned the crew, something he flatly denies. U.S. Customs and Border Protection however stepped in detaining the four crewmembers and ordering them deported.

WSF citing the recent developments terminated the for the Elwha and Klahowya. Saying that Armas failed to meet contractual obligations and deadlines, the company considers that Armas forfeited the $200,000 paid for the vessels with WSF claiming it as damages.

“It’s in the best interest of Washington state, the public, and WSF to sever ties due to multiple failures to meet contractual obligations and deadlines,” said Steve Nevey, WSF Assistant Secretary.

The ferry operator added that it places a strong emphasis on seafarer welfare and the predicaments of the four crewmembers is something it takes seriously. “It’s important to reaffirm that WSF’s values prioritize the fair treatment and safety of all crew members,” noted Nevey.

Following the termination of the contracts, WSF said it has begun engaging with other potential buyers who are already showing interest in the vessels. The ferry operator is selling the decommissioned vessels to free more dock space at its Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for planned and unplanned maintenance on its current fleet. WSF is also working to move forward with new ferries after delays in its fleet replacement program.