Kitsap Transit Awarded $13.5 Million Passenger Ferry Grant

Kitsap Transit, a public transit operator serving Kitsap County, Wash., announced it will receive $13.5 million in federal funding toward the purchase of a new fast ferry that would replace one of its oldest vessels on its Kingston/Seattle route.

The funding comes from the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant program and covers nearly 80% of the project’s $17.5 million cost. Kitsap Transit said it will contribute about $4 million in local dollars to the project.

“This funding allows us to buy a new boat to operate a route that has been running with a backup vessel – M/V Finest – that is older and has had to go out of service repeatedly for multiple issues,” said Executive Director John Clauson. “In late August we had to suspend sailings on the route for five days because we didn’t have a working spare vessel. This funding will give us the opportunity to reduce downtime and enhance service reliability.”

The 114-foot, 349-passenger aluminum catamaran Finest was built at Derecktor Shipyards for New York Waterway in 1996. Kitsap Transit purchased the vessel in 2018 and spent $7.5 million to refurbish the vessel at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders.

In recent years, as the vessel has continued to age, required maintenance has exponentially increased, Kitsap Transit said. The agency completed a survey of the vessel that found the hull and engines are at or near the end of their useful life. To extend the life of the Finest would cost between $14 million and $17 million.

A new ferry would cost about $17 million, incorporate cleaner diesel engines, and could resemble Kitsap Transit’s 250-passenger bow-loading vessels Enetai and Commander, both built at Nichols Brothers Boat Builders.

It will be several before a new ferry enters service. Kitsap Transit must first finalize its design and work through the construction bid process before ultimately selecting a shipyard to build the vessel.