Builder chosen for Washington State Ferries’ next new boats

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

One day after Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth returned to three-boat service after almost three years, another milestone for Washington State Ferries – a builder has been chosen for its next three new boats. From the announcement:

Governor Bob Ferguson today announced he has selected the $714.5 million bid from Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group to build three new 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries. Washington State Ferries (WSF) will move forward with the contracting process, following the first competitive bid for ferry construction in more than 25 years. …

The contract award comes after a comprehensive year-long process of advertising, pre-qualifying shipyards, and answering shipyard requests for clarification. Two shipyards submitted bids. Eastern’s bid was 6% lower than WSF’s own engineer’s estimate, and significantly lower than the other bidder.

The shipyard bid is only part of the new build process. There is an additional approximately $150 million for the first vessel for owner-furnished equipment, construction management, WSF crew training, and risk contingencies. This brings the cost of the first vessel to approximately $405 million, the second to $360 million, and the third to $325 million, as contingency risk decreases with lessons learned from each previous construction. …

According to its website, Eastern Shipbuilding Group has built more than 350 vessels, including ferries. It was one of two bidders; the other was Nichols Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island. State law was changed to allow ferries to be built out of state.

Rhonda July 1, 2025 (5:24 pm)

Disgusting. Every ferry should be built in Washington State.

T July 2, 2025 (6:17 am)

If the work was kept in state with a more expensive bid, you and your ilk would be bitching about the cost, shouting that the libs are ruining our state, overtaxing, can’t operate within a budget, etc.
- Rhonda July 2, 2025 (6:48 pm)
  
  Nonsense, T. And in this case we’re over-taxed AND our money is going to pay workers, their employer, suppliers, and taxes in a different state.

Doug July 1, 2025 (6:36 pm)

Change the law back – the state is loosing too much money – sending close to a billion of our tax dollars out of state does not make sense, even if it doesn’t cost as much. Has anybody figured in the rebate we get with all the levels of instate wages multiplying effect. That covers everyone from marine architects to janitors.

Jennifer M July 1, 2025 (8:00 pm)

Doug, I totally agree, and just wrote to the Governor: https://governor.wa.gov/contacting-governor/contacting-governors-office/send-gov-ferguson-e-message
Jake July 2, 2025 (12:17 pm)

So you guys want DOGE only when it’s convenient. Republican logic is a pretzel.

Richard July 1, 2025 (7:18 pm)

Agreed, change the law back. The financial impact to WA State & local businesses is immense. From lost tax revenue to lost wages to all of the many small businesses … including local restaurants that serve lunch & after-work entertainment. What a bonehead decision to change this law.

Captain July 1, 2025 (8:33 pm)

This is a huge mistake!Having spent more than 30+ years in the marine industry…I can tell you that Eastern is a train wreck. The recently had a big coast guard pulled and was given to another company because they could not deliver. They low bid every job…looks like they found a sucker in Washington state. The local builder Nichols Bros. Builds quality and has the capacity to do the job more than eastern.What a joke!

Just wondering July 1, 2025 (8:42 pm)

I do not want 1 cent of my money to benefit the state of Florida. Give the contract to a business in the state of Washington, not to the state building an Alligator Alcatraz.

Bob W July 1, 2025 (9:02 pm)

Why feed the Floridians when we could pay Southeast Asia even less to build it? I’m sure we could lobby someone to earmark that for us and create more savings in the process. Bob Ferguson, who probably frequents the WSB from time to time, I’ll tell you why I want it built in WA. Because I live here, I make money here and I pay taxes here to help my community thrive. I want our ship yards making money, bringing in brains and providing generational knowledge for tomorrow. An alternate is shipyard closures and putting a fast food franchise in their spot. We could create yet another soulless, opioid addicted town like where I came from in the rust belt which was in no way related to a brain and talent drain of the region from cost cutting measures.

Scarlett July 2, 2025 (10:03 am)

You can now call yourself a true Northwesterner. I’ve never lived in a state where there is so much foaming at the mouth vindictiveness and disdain directed at other states and people who live in those states. The narcissism here is off the charts.

B July 1, 2025 (9:12 pm)

Great plan. Let’s send our taxpayer money to a non-union shipyard in Florida instead of boosting our own economy and supporting local workers. Eastern Group operates in a state that ranks 35th in the country for worker protection policies. They also have some of the lowest wages for shipyard workers in the country.

Teri July 1, 2025 (9:15 pm)

Nichols bros. has been a formidable boat builder for decades & created many jobs for a small community in south Whidbey. I’m very disappointed in the decision to give this contract to “outsiders”

Adam Horton July 1, 2025 (10:00 pm)

Ok, I would like to keep the money in state too. However, where was Nichols bros or other WA ship builders when we put this out to bid last time? Inslee scuttled a deal with a firm a year or two ago. Why was that? They changed the law for a reason.

Admiral-2009 July 1, 2025 (10:19 pm)

Captain – I have no inside knowledge of Eastern but the term train wreck seemed odd to me, I would think a reference to ship wreck would be a better term for this post.

Boo on you July 2, 2025 (4:34 am)

Admiral-2009, sounds like you “have no inside knowledge,” maybe keep that emptiness to yourself until your brain thinks of something positive & helpful to say/share?🤷 The metaphor of a “train wreck” is a classic saying. Yes, a “ship wreck” in relation to this post IS clever, but to criticize someone’s post b/c your brain came up with a good comment?🤷‍♀️ here’s an idea, How about you Write your “ship wreck” idea along with some of your own thoughts about the situation, maybe?🤷‍♂️ just my thoughts… Sorry.
- Maria July 2, 2025 (10:39 pm)
  
  Woosh. It was a good joke. I could tell everything about it was written in jest.

Hammer in Hand July 1, 2025 (10:37 pm)

This award to an outside state boat builder is such BS. Cheapest never is the cheapest in the long run. This is so wrong on so many levelsquality built in our own back yard is a must! When the boats need servicing are they going back to Florida? Nichols Brothers was good for our Fire Boats. Bobby you made a bad choice choice and consequence will follow

CW July 2, 2025 (12:56 am)

Florida?!?! WTH?! This is beyond Not Okay! WA should know better than sending jobs and money there!

Bad Move WA! July 2, 2025 (4:30 am)

So Gross! Can’t even express how disappointing this is, on so many level!! Florida? …really?! We need to do better, WA. If the government can’t, the people must. Please, STAY LOCAL everyone. Keep our monie$ circulating within our own communities. We need to support locally: buy at Farmers’ Markets & PCC not “Safeways”; eat in locally owned & operated restaurants & coffee shops not “McD’s” and “Starbucks;” find a local store for your regular buys NOT Amazon! Please WA, Pay the extra 6% to support your very own WSF & Whidbey Island ship building community, come on!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Captain, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge & experienced view on this! I salute you & your 30+yrs of lived experience.🙏🏼

West side July 2, 2025 (5:28 am)

Do y’all not remember this? https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/as-washingtons-ferry-fleet-ages-why-arent-we-building-new-boats/

Jay July 2, 2025 (10:56 am)

The lowest bid selection is always a mistake. Especially under the state engineer’s estimate. I guarantee, would literally bet money right now, that there will be change orders that significantly impact the price and push it up over all the other bids. It’s a sleazy builder trick. Value-based selection is better than lowest-bid. Large projects shouldn’t be hard-bid. You have to factor in the ability of the firm to deliver the project and how realistic the price is. If it’s coming in under your own estimates… Man, this is part of my job (procurement for high value projects) and it makes me so sad to see repeated mistakes being made. And have them sign a cost-plus contract with a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) with strict restrictions on change orders. My company is legally on the hook for budget overages and that’s how it’s supposed to be. They hit the low price by incorporating bad faith assumptions into the design requirements that will need to be change-ordered. A GMP forces the company to do a thorough and honest estimate and do a full risk assessment.

North Admiral Cyclist July 2, 2025 (5:37 am)

As someone that worked in the maritime industry for years, I know it will cost a fortune to send our inspectors and experienced ferry staff to the shipyard in Florida for the years of construction – so we can keep tabs on Eastern, and at least try to keep them from cutting corners building boats we will use for 50 years into the future. As a point of history, the Build in Washington law was in effect in the late 1990s when WSF built the Jumbo Mark II class ferries (Tacoma, Wenatchee and Puyallup). Todd shipyard built the Jumbo Mk II boats winning out over Nichols Bros. They then hit the state for $50M in change orders.

Aaron July 2, 2025 (6:39 am)

It’s good to hear that action is being taken. I know we have needed new ferries for a while.

Sarah July 2, 2025 (6:40 am)

Such a shame. Shortsighted. Maybe a cheaper bid but really costing our state more in terms of jobs and lost revenue. Florida? Really? So many excellent points brought up in the above responses about that state’s problematic issues. We were not fans of Bob before this, even less so now. Is there any way to change this blunder of a choice?

Joan July 2, 2025 (7:46 am)

Boo hiss on Florida! Hope we don’t regret this.

WSCurmudgeon July 2, 2025 (9:22 am)

Derp July 2, 2025 (10:05 am)

If Nichols really wanted the business, then they should have been competitive with their bid. It is all about trying to save money for building the same boats. If they can’t do it for a good price, other people will. Everyone getting their panties in a bundle, when all you do is complain about the state and how they use our money. And here is a great example of the state doing so. And you guys are still complaining. My god people

Jay July 2, 2025 (11:04 am)

When a company comes in significantly under the other bids it usually means they made bad faith assumptions about the designs that cut a corner in estimation, and then the project will cost much more after change orders to address these issues. Private industry contracts are evolving to address this. Public agencies are often stuck with checklists and low-bid selections rather than value-based selection, which opens the door to this sort of scam. I can absolutely guarantee that the cost difference will be made up with change orders and that it’ll end up costing us more than other respondents.
- J July 2, 2025 (2:38 pm)
  
  Nichols Bros. bid was 32% higher than our state engineer’s estimate… it’s more likely Nichols Bros believed they had home field advantage allowing them to bid higher. They probably could have won a higher bid, but not hundreds of millions of dollars higher.
  - Curious George July 2, 2025 (5:29 pm)
    
    There have been a lot of valid points brought up in these ‘opinions’ ranging from out of state vs in state, quality control, change orders,and warranty work The bidding is itself a reflection of what the bidder sees in the bid documents. Often times a poorly specked bid is bid cheap to take advantage of change orders while another bidder sees this coming and not wishing a conflict includes the correct way to build. When all of this is said and done and all costs are in will be a big reflection on our governor and hopefully remembered at election time.
  - Curious George July 2, 2025 (5:30 pm)
    
    There have been a lot of valid points brought up in these ‘opinions’ ranging from out of state vs in state, quality control, change orders,and warranty work The bidding is itself a reflection of what the bidder sees in the bid documents. Often times a poorly specked bid is bid cheap to take advantage of change orders while another bidder sees this coming and not wishing a conflict includes the correct way to build. When all of this is said and done and all costs are in this will be a big reflection on our governor and hopefully remembered at election time.
- Derp July 2, 2025 (6:13 pm)
  
  You have no information to base this on. Is the job done yet ? No it isn’t. Too blast a project that was just awarded, with nothing to base your opinion on, is just your opinion. Nice try though. At 32% higher from a local builder with a bad reputation for being way over on past projects and made up for with cost over runs too. Such a joke to keep going the same route of over paying for a project. Kudos to the state for exposing Nichols

Jim Clark July 2, 2025 (10:49 am)

Just wait for the cost over runs to pile up.

AK July 2, 2025 (11:11 am)

Booo! I don’t want any of my tax money supporting the Florida cult state! This is disgusting!

helpermonkey July 2, 2025 (1:10 pm)

Great! So we’re going to have our ferries built by cheap, unskilled, non-union labor, in a regressive state that doesn’t believe in worker’s rights. What could possibly go wrong? What on earth is Ferguson thinking? Bring a life vest.

Derp July 2, 2025 (6:07 pm)

This has been in the works longer than Ferguson has been in office. Nice try though
- Bev July 2, 2025 (7:53 pm)
  
  Yes it may have been in the works before Ferguson’s been in office but he OK’d/approved it.