This past Saturday, nearly 600 passengers aboard the Washington State Ferry M/V Walla Walla received quite the scare over their weekend.
The Ferry ran aground en route from Seattle to Bremerton at roughly 4:30 in the afternoon. It’s another bump in the road as the Washington State Ferry system looks to return to pre-COVID operations.
What Has the Ferry System Been Dealing With?
The system has been dealing with staffing shortages since the service resumed during the pandemic. A ferry service to Sydney, British Columbia from Anacortes has been suspended for at least another seven years with an estimated resumption in 2030. That is not just a result of staff but also boat shortages as well.
So What Happened to the M/V Walla Walla?
In the interim other boats will have to pick up the slack meaning that delays will occur on the route serviced by the M/V/ Walla Walla until repairs are complete. WSF announced the alternate schedule for today in a release on their website. WSF also announced the Fauntleroy/Vashon, Fauntleroy/Southworth and Southworth/Vashon routes will run on an alternate schedule.