The Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry route is out of service until the MV Kennewick can be repaired. (File photo/Peninsula Daily News)

The Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry route is out of service until the MV Kennewick can be repaired. (File photo/Peninsula Daily News)

UPDATE: MV Kennewick repaired; Port Townsend-Coupeville route reopened for single ferry service

UPDATE: Washington State Ferries announced early Monday that the MV Kennewick has been repaired.

The Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route was reopened for single vessel service as of the 6:30 a.m. departure from Port Townsend.

PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route is without service after the MV Kennewick faced engine problems Sunday morning.

The ferry’s engine has a water jacket leak and mechanics headed to Port Townsend on Sunday to fix the problem, said Ian Sterling, spokesperson for the Washington State Ferries.

How long repairs will take is unknown, he said. Sterling was unsure whether repairs would be complete within a day, a week or longer.

Reservation holders do not receive no-show fees due to canceled sailings.

“We just don’t know yet,” Sterling said. “We want to get the route restored to service as quick as we can.”

This was expected to be a busy weekend for the ferry.

Sunday was the Oyster Run — which bills itself as the largest motorcycle run in the Pacific Northwest — in Anacortes and the Port Townsend Film Festival continued through Sunday as well.

“It’s not a good situation,” he said.

Sterling said that at half capacity, the route would have been full Sunday.


The latest development adds to problems on the route. The MV Salish, the other boat that typically serves the route, is now in dry dock after it bottomed out in Keystone Harbor earlier this month.

Sterling said it sustained “good” rudder and propeller damage and is expected to be repaired within the next week or two.

Last year, the Salish was out of service for rudder problems and crab pot damage. It took six weeks to repair.

Sterling said motorists should look at alternate routes, including the Kingston-Edmonds ferry and the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry.

Sunday morning, there was a 60-minute wait at the Clinton terminal and a two-hour wait at the Kingston terminal.

The MV Kennewick and MV Salish are two of three Kwa-di Tabil class ferries that can serve the Port Townsend-Coupeville route.

The third is the MV Chetzemoka, which is now serving the Point Defiance-Vashon Island route.

Sterling said it would be possible to move the Chetzemoka to Port Townsend, but that’s not an option that’s being looked at immediately.

“We do have a contingency plan and it’s plan B for a reason,” he said. “There’s no way not to feel pain on some route.”

Keystone Harbor in Coupeville makes it impossible for other classes of ferries to serve the route and with the Chetzemoka serving the Vashon Island route, there are no others that can fill the Port Townsend-Coupeville route, Sterling said.

“We just don’t have a deep bench,” he said. “We have one relief vessel and unfortunately it’s already in use.”

He said the ferry system is working on a long-range plan and has sent preliminary recommendations to the state legislature requesting five new Olympic-class boats.

If funded, none of those boats would be able to service the Port Townsend-Coupeville route but they could fill in at the Point Defiance-Vashon Island route.

“That’s a condition we’d like to remedy as quickly as we can,” Sterling said.

________

Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Weekly flight operations scheduled

There will be field carrier landing practice operations for aircraft… Continue reading

Navy training exercise to be conducted Thursday

Naval Magazine Indian Island will conduct a security training… Continue reading

North Olympic Library System public service specialist Jessica Raivo transfers books from the stacks to a cart on Saturday at the Sequim Public Library for eventual transport to a temporary library building. The current library on North Sequim Avenue is slated for renovation and expansion with library services slated to resume on April 1 at 609 W. Washington St., next to Fifth Avenue Furniture, in the storefront that was previously Brian’s Sporting Goods. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Book transfer

North Olympic Library System public service specialist Jessica Raivo transfers books from… Continue reading

Jefferson County is eying short-term rental regulations

Feedback to be presented to Planning Commission

Clallam PUD seeking faster solution for West End outages

County commissioners, coalition support idea of expanded right of way

From left to right, Sean Coleman, Colleen Robinson, Brown Maloney and Todd Ortloff display the awards they earned Friday during the annual gala of the Clallam County Economic Development Council at Field Arts & Events Hall in Port Angeles (Lorie Fazio/Clallam County EDC)
Coleman named Olympic Leader of the Year at EDC gala

Habitat for Humanity, Radio Pacific also win awards during event

Historic bell missing from Camp Parsons

Property crime up in Brinnon area, director says

Casey and Karen Proud, both of Sequim, look at a selection of St. Patrick’s Day hats and other souvenirs for participating in Saturday’s Shamrock Shuffle & Pub Crawl in downtown Port Angeles. The event, a benefit for the Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Education Foundation, allowed crawlers to receive six tasting tokens for libations at participating bars and restaurants in the downtown area with a drawing for additional prizes. Numerous downtown businesses also offered sale discounts for purchases during the crawl. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Winter sports benefit in Port Angeles

Casey and Karen Proud, both of Sequim, look at a selection of… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, right, discusses emergency services on Thursday during a roundtable session with emergency managers from across the region, including Clallam County Sheriff Brian King, left, and Clallam County Administrator Todd Mielke in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Clallam seeks additional funds for emergency operations center

Administrator says $10 million still needed for proposed project

More than 100 educators appeared at Thursday’s Port Angeles School District board meeting to show their support for paraeducators, who are seeking a 3.7 percent pay raise and have been working without a contract since Aug. 31. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
Paraeducators fill school board meeting

Labor group asking for same raise teachers received

Committee forms to support Quilcene school levy

Lack of communication cited for failed vote

Herb Beck Marina improvements in the works

New concrete boat launch among the plans