Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry service down to 1 vessel

PORT TOWNSEND — Ferry service from Port Townsend to Coupeville has resumed with one vessel after the MV Salish struck bottom when docking in Coupeville on Tuesday morning.

Service had resumed with the MV Kennewick as of the 12:30 p.m. sailing, but no new reservations will be taken Tuesday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Stand-by customers will not be loaded until further notice because of the reduced capacity, and all customers are urged to take alternate routes — such as Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton — if possible, Transportation said on its website Tuesday afternoon.

Reservation-holders for all Kennewick sailings Tuesday will be prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis.

Reservation-holders will not be charged a no-show fee Tuesday if they’re unable to travel because of the disruption.

According to PDN news partner KOMO News, the steering failed on the Salish on Tuesday morning, causing the vessel to hit bottom when docking in Coupeville.

The ferry reportedly experienced rudder steering failure when it “bumped the bottom” of the sandbar in Keystone Harbor about 9:15 am Tuesday while approaching the dock, according to Washington State Ferries.

Passengers were let off the Salish with no injuries, KOMO reported.

Crews were able to move the Salish back to Port Townsend to check for damage.

Ian Sterling with the WSF said the Keystone landing is one of the most challenging landings, and it isn’t the first time this has happened on this route.

“We have seen this before,” Sterling said to KOMO. “There’s basically a car width in between where the ferry docks and where the sandbar is so there’s very, very little room for anything to go wrong.”

More in News

Children pick up candy along the parade route in Forks on Friday during the Forks Old Fashioned 4th of July Parade. (Lonnie Archibald/for Peninsula Daily News)
Festivities on the Fourth

Children pick up candy along the parade route in Forks on Friday… Continue reading

A new parking lot next to the Sequim Civic Center will be completed by the end of the summer, according to Sequim city staff. The city purchased three lots adjacent to the center in June 2022 to convert the properties into a parking lot. The lots also were known for common calls to 911. (Matthew Nash/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
Sequim sets its list of projects

Summer work includes paving streets

Weekly flight operations scheduled

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

Security exercise set for Wednesday at Indian Island

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

Project SAFER aims to help those with disabilities

Form identifies sensitivities for law enforcement officers

Summer meal programs help out families in Jefferson County

Jefferson Healthcare and Jefferson County Food Bank Association offer assistance

Violinist Kristian Bugge plays traditional Danish folk songs with Fiddle Tunes found Bertram Levy, July 2. (ELIJAH SUSSMAN/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS)
Fiddle Tunes fill the air at Fort Worden

Traditions flourish, musical and otherwise

Beaver Valley fire sees road closure

One acre vegetation fire controlled quickly

Public meeting on Rayonier Mill Cleanup on Tuesday

The Washington State Department of Ecology on Tuesday will… Continue reading

Port Angeles City Council taking applications for seat

A vacancy on the City Council must be filled… Continue reading

KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Construction workers stand on what remains of the old U.S. 101 bridge over the Elwha River on Wednesday as the aging structure is dismantled. The old bridge, built in 1926, was in danger of washout when the river beneath changed course and engineers discovered the bridge piers were built on gravel instead of bedrock, leading to constructon of a new bridge, at right, which was opened to traffic in 2024. The old bridge was to remain in place until a fish-spawning window, which runs from mid-July until the end of August.
Bridge removal

Construction workers stand on what remains of the old U.S. Highway 101… Continue reading