Peninsula Daily News news sources
The mothballed Steel Electric-class ferries, including two which served the Port Townsend-Keystone route until they were abruptly pulled out of service near Thanksgiving 2007, are going south of the border — and the scrap heap.
The four ferries — Klickitat, Quinault, Illahee and Nisqually — have been sold to Eco Planet Recycling Inc. of Chula Vista, Calif. The combined price is $200,000.
The Herald of Everett ( www.heraldnet.com ) first reported the story today.
The sale was approved June 17 and confirmed Friday.
The Steel Electrics are expected to be towed from Bainbridge Island, where they are now moored, to Ensenada, Mexico, in July, officials said. Ensenada is about 45 miles south of Tijuana; Chula Vista, Calif., is about midway between the U.S.-Mexico border and downtown San Diego.
The ferry system has spent the past several months stripping the vessels of items that could be used elsewhere in the fleet.
State officials earlier announced other deals to sell the Steel Electric boats — including a ship recycler near Colima, Mexico, between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, but all of those plans fell through.
