Washington State Ferries fleet

Active vessels in the Washington State Ferries system. Clockwise from top left: MV Kaleetan near Orcas Island, MV Suquamish in Mukilteo, MV Tacoma at Colman Dock in Seattle, and MV Chelan near Lopez Island.

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system operated by the state government of Washington in the United States. It has a fleet of 21 roll-on/roll-off ferry vessels that carry both passengers and vehicles on its 8 routes between its 20 terminals within Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States and the second largest vehicular ferry system in the world; in 2024, it carried over 19 million total riders, of which 9 million were in vehicles.^[1][2] The system's main terminal is Colman Dock in Seattle and its maintenance base is Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island.^[3][4]

The system uses double-ended ferries that have two pilothouses and two propellers for operation in either direction.^[5] They are powered by engines that use diesel fuel; the system uses 19 million gallons (72,000 m³) of diesel annually.^[6] The vessels have separate decks for automobiles and passengers, including outdoor areas for the latter, that are connected by stairs and elevators. Vehicles are driven onto the ferry, while passengers can board the "picklefork" on the deck from overhead walkways at major terminals or from the vehicle deck at other facilities.^[7][8][9] The passenger cabin includes restrooms, a staffed galley with a dining area, and vending machines.^[10][11] Washington State Ferries uses a standard livery of white with green trim for its vessels, but also allows the use of wraps for advertising through contractors;^[12] a gold stripe is painted on the stack when a vessel enters its 50th year of service.^[13]

Washington State Ferries began operations on June 1, 1951, after the state government's acquisition of the private Puget Sound Navigation Company's domestic routes in Puget Sound. The company, nicknamed the "Black Ball Line" for its flag, had acquired smaller operators who had formed the "mosquito fleet" and had a fleet of vessels that varied widely in size, capacity, and condition.^[14] The state government retained 16 of the company's vessels, including a handful of older wood-decked and steam-powered boats, and acquired other vessels from Maryland and local county systems.^[15] Among the most famous was MV Kalakala, which was built in 1935 with a streamlined, Art Deco design atop an existing hull; she was the flagship of the Puget Sound Navigation Company and early ferry system until her retirement in 1967.^[16][17] The older ferries were gradually retired and replaced by larger vessels that were built specifically for the state's system, beginning with MV Evergreen State in 1954 and followed by the "superferries" in the 1960s that could carry up to 2,600 passengers and 160 vehicles.^[18] Washington State Ferries also acquired several passenger-only catamarans for limited service in the 1980s and 1990s, but retired the last of the fleet in 2009.^[19]

As of 2025^[update], the system has 21 ferries—of which 18 are in regular service during the peak months and 3 are designated for reserve or emergency use. The state government plans to acquire up to six new vessels that would be diesel–electric hybrids; MV Wenatchee, an existing diesel ferry, was converted to a hybrid and re-entered service in 2025.^[20] The ferries are typically assigned to a single route, but are able to be transferred depending on need.^[21] The largest ferries in the fleet are the three Jumbo Mark II class vessels, built from 1997 to 1999, which carry 202 vehicles and 1,791 passengers. The smallest are the Kwa-di Tabil class, which were built in the early 2010s and carry 64 vehicles and 748 passengers.^[21][22] The passenger capacity of the vessels was revised in 2011 following a new directive from the U.S. Coast Guard to account for the rise in obesity among Americans; the Jumbo Mark II formerly had a listed capacity of 2,000 passengers.^[23] Each vessel requires between 10 and 16 crewmembers while in service, depending on the size of the class.^[21] The oldest active ferry in the system, MV Tillikum, was built in 1959 and is scheduled to be retired by 2035, when she will be 76 years old.^[20] One active vessel, MV Chelan, was equipped to meet SOLAS Convention certification for international service between Anacortes and Sidney, British Columbia, which was suspended in 2020.^[24][25]

The ferries are named by the Washington State Transportation Commission and are derived from the state's Native American tribes and their languages.^[26] The tradition originated with the Puget Sound Navigation Company in the 1930s and was adopted by the state government in 1958;^[15] the final vessel with a non-indigenous name was the Evergreen State, which was retired in 2015.^[27] Of the 21 active vessels in the Washington State Ferries system, 19 were built in Seattle; the Super-class had been built in San Diego, California.^[22] The state government added a requirement to use in-state shipbuilders for the ferry system in 1997; the ten bids awarded since then went to Todd Shipyards (later Vigor Shipyards) in Seattle.^[28][29] The requirement to use in-state shipbuilders was repealed in 2023 after negotiations with Vigor to build new vessels stalled;^[28] a Florida-based shipbuilder was selected in 2025 to build three hybrid diesel–electric ferries.^[30]