Hiyu – Klahowya switch delayed

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division announced that service adjustments previously planned for the week of March 10-14 are postponed after a problem was discovered late Friday, March 7, in the steel welding of the 34-car ferry Hiyu that will delay its return to full time service in the San Juan Islands.

The Hiyu has been at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes for maintenance and steel hull repair since December and was scheduled to begin service on the San Juan Islands inter-island route on Monday, March 10. The vessel is currently at the ferry system’s Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility where it was preparing to travel north to the San Juan Islands on Sunday. During a routine inspection, vessel crews discovered a damp area in one of the void spaces on the vessel.

“While the Hiyu was in dry dock, workers welded in new steel hull plates and repaired areas of steel corrosion,” said Paul Brodeur, Director of Vessel Preservation, Maintenance and Engineering. “When we drydock the vessel again and get a better look, we will be able to determine the cause of this new problem.”

On March 12, the Hiyu will return to Dakota Creek for inspection and repair. The work is expected to take several days. Once repairs are completed, the Hiyu will begin operating on the San Juan Islands inter-island route until mid-May.

Because there are no spare vessels in the system, the Hiyu’s delayed return to service caused the ferry system to postpone planned vessel maintenance work and service changes systemwide. Changes to previously announced service adjustments include:

Anacortes/San Juan Islands

· Until the Hiyu is available, the 87-car Klahowya will continue to provide service on the San Juan Islands inter-island route.