PORT TOWNSEND — Ferry service on the Port Townsend-Keystone route was restored early this morning after a broken diesel generator put the Steilacoom II out of commission Wednesday and Thursday.
Regularly scheduled trips between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island have resumed.
The Steilacoom II was docked for repairs Wednesday afternoon.
Washington State Ferries officials said that, despite regular maintenance of the Steilacoom II, passage through Admiralty Inlet is very challenging for the 50-car vessel designed for the more calm waters of Pierce County, which owns and leases it to the state while a new 64-car ferry is under construction for the Port Townsend-Keystone route.
The new vessel is designed to handle the specific characteristics of this route, including the often rough waters of Admiralty Inlet and the narrow channel at Keystone landing on Whidbey Island.
Todd Pacific Shipyards is more than halfway through the 18-month construction schedule for Washington State Ferries’ first new 64-car ferry, which is scheduled to begin serving the Port Townsend/Keystone route in late summer 2010.
A second 64-car ferry is scheduled to be built for the route in late 2011.