Ferry ramming at Colman Dock cost taxpayers $327K

The hard landing of the ferry Wenatchee into Seattle's Colman Dock in late August cost the ferry system $327,159, according to Washington State Ferries.

The Wenatchee, on a run from Bainbridge Island, was damaged and taken out of service after it ran into Colman Dock in the fog.

There was one minor injury, to an elderly passenger, and the impact damaged the vessel's bow and the slip's wing wall.

After the accident, the ferry system had to move ferries to maintain service to Bainbridge Island.

Bremerton's 144-car Hyak replaced the Wenatchee and later swapped places with the 208-car Puyallup from the Kingston-Edmonds route.

To make up for the absence of a second boat on the Bremerton run, WSF contracted with Victoria Express to provide two 149-passenger ferries for that route.

The accident was investigated by the ferry system and Coast Guard, which found the cause of the accident was human error. Factors included vessel speed and poor visibility, and there was also a breakdown in communications on board the ferry.

The captain and crew involved remain on the job, said the ferry system, and it expects to decide by the end of the month wether there will be any disciplinary action.

Repairs to the vessel cost $180,000 and the lease of the passenger vessels was $122,000. With other expenses, the total cost to the ferry was more than $327,000.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com