Washington State Ferries seeks new owners for aging fleet castoffs

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. - Two retired Washington State Ferries are sitting idle on the shores of Bainbridge Island, decommissioned and deteriorating as state officials look for someone willing and financially able to take them on.

‘Ferry Purgatory’ on Eagle Harbor

The Klahowya and the Hyak, once workhorses of the nation’s largest ferry system, now sit unused at Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility. Seagulls and pigeons have taken over railings, algae stains cover the decks and rust blooms spread across aging steel.

Washington State Ferries Assistant Secretary and Deputy Executive Director John Vezina said Eagle Harbor is normally the agency’s most vital space for repairs and preservation work but not with retired ferries clogging the slips.

"We are in the best ferry place that we have, Eagle Harbor, where we maintain and preserve our boats," said Vezina. "We’re on purgatory, I would say."

The ferry system operates 21 vessels. Two, the Klahowya and the Hyak, have been formally decommissioned. Both occupy two of Eagle Harbor’s six repair slots.

"We really need them out of here so we can have more space to do maintenance and preservation work," said Vezina.

Tours Only for ‘Serious Buyers’

What they're saying:

Inside, the vessels are dark, musty and stripped of critical equipment. Flashlights illuminate corrosion, peeling paint and gutted engine rooms.

"It is a weird feeling," said Vezina while walking through the silent hallways. "We’re not cleaning it up, we’re not keeping it in any sort of shape."

Vezina said only "serious buyers" are allowed onboard because the ferries need extensive and expensive rehabilitation.

"When they get to 60 years, they’re ready to go," he said. "There’s nobody else who wants them, so it wouldn’t make sense to take money we need to maintain our other vessels to paint and keep these in shape."

Anyone who does buy one should prepare for staggering costs. Vezina estimated it could take tens of millions of dollars even up to $40 million to bring one back into service for Washington State Ferries.

Aging fleet, long wait for replacements

The system’s oldest vessels, including the 66-year-old Tillikum, continue to push past expected lifespans as the state scrambles for funding and new builds.

"We’re not going to get a new boat for five years and that boat’s going to be 71," Vezina said of the Tillikum. "We are working with the governor and elected officials in the legislature for the money and the preservation we need to keep them going far past what we originally would have expected."

The other side:

Interest pours in from curious would-be ferry owners like lake-front homeowners, business operators and maritime enthusiasts, but most have no idea what they’re taking on.

"We have people that want to build a restaurant, want to build an office, and some people have done those things," Vezina said. "We have a responsibility to the environment and to the taxpayers of Washington not to let them go somewhere where they’ll sit and decay."

Recycling isn’t easy either

Washington State Ferries has explored recycling options, but even that has been complicated.

A previous attempt in 2024 to tow two vessels to a recycling facility in Ecuador failed shortly after the boats left Bainbridge Island.

"They set up a tow plan, and they didn’t make it far," said Vezina. "So we’re not going to sell them to South America."

Another potential recycling site is in Texas but the cost to get the ferry there through the Panama Canal could reach $1–2 million. Meanwhile, British Columbia is facing similar struggles with its retired ferries. Vezina tells FOX 13 there is talk of opening a new recycling facility up north to tackle that growing problem.

Memories and nostalgia on board

For many, ferries are more than just transportation. These floating relics are riddled with nostalgia.

"For a long time and still, we refer to vessels as ‘she,’" said Vezina. "She served us well."

"In the past, people had high school proms on the boats and people get married on the boats," he said. "These boats are like people’s family."

A look back: When a ghost ship rose again

Not all ferry stories end in decay. The legendary art-deco Kalakala, the "Silver Slug" launched in 1935, once captivated passengers on Elliott Bay.

"That was an amazing art deco boat ahead of its time," said Eagle Harbor Facility General Manager Tim Clancy.

Vezina recalled that people were so attached to it, they bought it after retirement but then couldn’t figure out what to do with it.

"It just goes until someone buys it, and it just decays," he said.

Other vessels have been luckier: the smaller Hiyu now operates as a tiki bar on Lake Washington, and the Elwha has been converted into office space at Everett Ship Repair.

What's next:

The Klahowya and Hyak will remain at Eagle Harbor until new owners, or a salvage solution emerges.

"We need to surplus them," explained Clancy. "We need to move them out of our facility and transfer ownership."

Though their working days are done, Clancy believes the fleet is aging gracefully. Washington State Ferries is preparing for new hybrid-electric vessels, the next generation of boats he called really exciting new projects.

Still, the abandoned ferries on Bainbridge Island stand as a stark reminder of the system’s challenges.

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Seattle woman’s finger bitten off in unprovoked assault

Seattle mayor-elect Katie Wilson announces senior staff team

Is this objectively the best pizza in Western Washington?

WA 'South Hill Rapist' Kevin Coe dies

Arlington, WA ranch owner sentenced for child sex abuse

Federal judge blocks Trump's defunding of Planned Parenthood

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

TransportationBainbridge Island