FOLLOWUP: Crash-damaged state ferry Cathlamet headed to drydock; plus, terminal-repair update

1:04 PM: Thanks to Jon Wright for the photo. That’s state ferry M/V Cathlamet, headed out of Washington State Ferries‘ Eagle Harbor maintenance facility this morning. It’s been four weeks since Cathlamet crashed into an offshore structure (known as a dolphin) at the Fauntleroy terminal while arriving from Vashon. WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling says Cathlamet will be drydocked at Everett Ship Repair and that it’s not expected back in service before the end of the year. They aren’t citing an estimate for what repairs will cost, only that it’s “well into the millions.” (The car stuck beneath the collapsed section of ferry has been removed, in case you’re wondering.) We’ve also asked for an update on the dolphin repair plans and will add that when we get it. We’re checking separately on the status of the investigation, which was to be led by the U.S. Coast Guard. The captain on duty at the time of the crash, a 36-year WSF veteran, resigned days later.

6:11 PM: Here’s what WSF’s Sterling says about the dolphin: “Price estimate for the dolphin repair is fluctuating but remains in the hundreds of thousands range. Repair should start in late September, depending on material availability. We need some odd sized, out of stock parts and this could force the date to slide a little.”

8 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: Crash-damaged state ferry Cathlamet headed to drydock; plus, terminal-repair update"

  • Rocky raccoon August 24, 2022 (3:35 pm)

    Are you kidding me? The end of the year? So short of boats? Millions of dollars? Described as cosmetic damage? So pathetic.

    • Sherman Olsen August 24, 2022 (4:35 pm)

      And in your experience as a shipwright, how long should it take to cut out the damaged portions and build those pieces again from scratch? What kind of rigging will need to be in place to do that safely? How long does structural testing and approvals take once those are complete? How much should it cost? It’s out of my wheelhouse, so to speak, so I’ll just rely on the opinion of experts.

    • Wow August 24, 2022 (5:37 pm)

      Really, so do you repair boats,  or are just another arm chair critic. So you think these things can be fixed over night. I bet this bridge thing is killing you. Lol

    • Peter August 25, 2022 (9:45 am)

      Yeah, they can just buff that out, I’m sure …

  • The King August 24, 2022 (4:30 pm)

    The timeline doesn’t surprise me at all. There’s a shortage of everything to get this done. Materials and skilled labor. Public schools seem to have abandoned the idea of encouraging young people to go into the trades. Too bad 

  • Chuck Jacobs August 24, 2022 (5:40 pm)

    If your car was T-boned, caving in the passenger door leaving you unable to open it, but still drivable,  that’s cosmetic damage. It’s still going to take time and a significant amount of money to repair it. Maybe you can give us an estimate of what your shipyard would charge for such a repair?

  • RP August 25, 2022 (9:05 am)

    Re: dolphin repair “out of stock parts”…yes, it’s hard to get old-growth pilings these days

    • Neighbor August 25, 2022 (11:31 am)

      I thought the pilings were metal?  They bent when the ferry hit them, but they didn’t snap like logs.

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