Welcome to Skagit County

Apri 16, 2025

Guemes Island Ferry Drydock Update

ferry drydock

We know you've been anxiously awaiting an update, and we appreciate your patience. Today marks the 32nd day of the drydock, and the project is progressing steadily. While a lot of work has been done, there's still more ahead. Here's the current situation:

All the vessel's machinery has been removed, and new engines packages have been delivered to the shipyard and are awaiting installation.
Work yet to be done includes painting the hull, car deck, and internal void spaces. Bilge piping below deck required relocation to accommodate the new engines, and that work is still in progress and should wrap up by Friday.
Brand new engines and drivelines, rebuilt reduction gears, outdrives, and an auxiliary generator still need to be reinstalled onboard.
New engine foundations and enclosures are being fabricated and installed this week. These critical components require meticulous attention to ensure quality and safety standards are met.

With two weeks left, the schedule may be impacted due to ongoing work on engine foundations, enclosures, and machinery installation.

The ferry was originally scheduled to return to service on April 30, and it is still unknown if the Contractor will meet this schedule. We should know more by the end of this week. We appreciate your understanding as we work diligently to overcome these challenges and deliver a successful project.

Old Boat, Old Steel

Part of the work completed during this drydock period was audio gauging of the vessel's structural steel and car deck. Audio gauging is a nondestructive testing technique to measure the thickness of material, in this case, steel. Our vessel is 45 years old, and most of the hull and car deck readings looked good. Given the vessel's age however, it was no surprise to find some spots where corrosion exceeded the United States Coast Guard (USCG) allowed wastage of 25%. One example is on the No. 2 end bottom plating behind the engine's keel cooler. The USCG required the contractor to crop and renew part of the bottom plate and a section of interior bulkhead.