WA ferries cancel multiple sailings due to widespread crew shortages

Washington State Ferries announced Monday morning that all routes may be out of service due to a lack of crewmembers, and riders should plan ahead for alternative routes.

Ferry employee callouts trigger disruptions across multiple routes in WA

What we know:

The initial alert from Washington State Ferries arrived on Sunday night saying, "Due to the lack of qualified crew, several routes are at risk of reduced or no service to start the day on Monday, Oct. 5." That message was updated Monday morning at around 5:26 a.m. and remains the same.

People who use the ferries are encouraged to sign up for travel alerts via email and text message, or continuously check the WSDOT ferry alerts page.

FOX 13 Seattle reached out to Washington State Ferries for a statement on Monday:

What they're saying:

"Washington State Ferries employees, like many workers, earn sick leave, and we honor employees' use of that leave when they are unable to work," wrote WSF in a statement. "When a crew member calls out, we work to find a qualified relief employee to fill the position so the sailing can operate safely."

What we don't know:

WSF said it is aware of the situation and is exploring options to maintain sailing routes, and it is actively investigating what may have contributed to the number of callouts and the difficulty filling open positions.

Washington State Ferries canceled routes and crew shortage delays

Timeline:

Here is a timeline of the Washington State Ferries alerts issued for Monday, Oct. 5:

• 04:17 AM – Port Townsend / Coupeville: The #1 Kennewick is canceled for the entire day due to a crew shortage. No-show fees are waived, and alternate routes via Edmonds / Kingston or Mukilteo / Clinton are recommended.
• 04:20 AM – Mukilteo / Clinton: The route transitions to one-boat service until 7:00 a.m., canceling early morning sailings (including the 5:05 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. from Clinton, and 5:35 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. from Mukilteo) before returning to two-boat service.
• 05:07 AM – Seattle / Bainbridge Island: The route is announced to go out of service following the Puyallup's 5:30 a.m. sailing from Seattle due to a crew shortage while dispatch attempts to fill positions.
• 05:08 AM – Seattle / Bremerton: The #2 Chimacum is pulled from service for the day, reducing the route to one-boat service and canceling multiple morning departures (starting with the 6:20 a.m. from Bremerton and 7:35 a.m. from Seattle).
• 05:16 AM – Anacortes / San Juan Islands: Extensive morning cancellations hit multiple vessels. The #2 Yakima and #1 Chelan face major service cuts, while the #3 Samish runs an all-stops route to transport students and crew, canceling several #4 Tillikum interisland sailings. Reservations are blocked and no-show fees waived.
• 05:44 AM – Edmonds / Kingston: The route issues an update noting that the Spokane will sail two roundtrips before tying up, the Walla Walla is out of service to start the day, and the route will stop running entirely following the 7:10 a.m. sailing from Edmonds. Alternative routes via Seattle/Bainbridge or Seattle/Bremerton are advised.
• 05:26 AM – System-Wide Updates: General management alerts are posted reiterating that Washington State Ferries is experiencing severe crewing gaps across multiple corridors, putting all routes at risk of reduced or zero service to start the day.

For updates, check the Washington State Ferries alerts bulletin.

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