(Photo courtesy Andrew Harms, who was on board when the Rachel Marie crashed on Sunday)
Just in from King County, an update on the aftermath of yesterday’s crash, with the West Seattle-to-downtown Water Taxi, Rachel Marie, hitting the seawall and historic landing south of its dock at Pier 50, sending 7 people to the hospital (WSB coverage here). The county says damage to the RM appears “significant” and that Argosy’s Sightseer will continue to make the run, between Seacrest and Pier 55 instead of 50, for at least the rest of this week. (We checked out its first run this morning; later, Ross sent this photo of a bigger crowd boarding:)

Read on for the full text of the news release just sent by King County Department of Transportation:

One day after King County’s West Seattle water taxi Rachel Marie struck a waterfront landing adjacent to its regular dock on the downtown Seattle waterfront, county maritime workers are attempting to determine the extent of the vessel damage.

While a U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate how the incident occurred, the County has begun its own review of damage that occurred when the vessel failed to stop at the dock and struck the pier.

“My thoughts are with the passengers and a water taxi employee who sustained injuries and their families and I’m grateful everyone survived,” King County Department of Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi said. “I’d like to thank the crews and numerous first responders who got everyone to shore quickly and secured the scene. Their responsiveness and professionalism helped bring this serious incident to a fast, safe conclusion.”

Early indications point to significant vessel damage. A preliminary inspection of the vessel shows some structural damage and broken windows. It will take several more days or possibly weeks to determine whether there is more serious hidden structural damage that can’t be seen until the boat is placed in dry dock. The Rachel Marie will remain at Pier 50 until more is known about the extent of damage and a ship builder is identified to make repairs.

While the damage assessment continues, the County’s Marine Division will focus on assisting the U.S. Coast Guard with its investigation. After extensive testing, the Rachel Marie was returned to service last Wednesday after several days in dry dock where it underwent a full range of annual preventative maintenance and warranty work. The vessel continued to operate normally with no reports of system or operational problems until Sunday’s incident.

The Rachel Marie was operating with a crew of four employees who are part of a larger maritime staff employed by the King County Department of Transportation’s Marine Division. All crew members have extensive experience and maintain appropriate U.S. Coast Guard certification and required licenses. All crew members receive a variety of ongoing system training that includes lifesaving, fire fighting and emergency response drills.

With the beginning of service Monday, the West Seattle-downtown Seattle route is being temporarily operated by Argosy Cruises. The service will be operated out of Pier 55 just north of the dock the Rachel Marie regularly uses. The vessel “Sightseer” will continue to provide regularly scheduled service on a short-term basis until more is known about the extent of damage to the Rachel Marie. This arrangement will likely be in place at least through this week.

Passengers can monitor updates and schedule adjustments by visiting the King County Marine Division’s website at
http://www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/WaterTaxi/WestSeattleRoute.aspx