In late February, Washington State Ferries crew found a small hole in the hull of the Samish, necessitating taking it out of service. WSF engineers examined the vessel and discovered localized corrosion on the hull in the vicinity of both engine rooms. This corrosion is what led to the hole.

WSF is working with representatives from the shipbuilder, Vigor Industrial, and Dakota Creek Industries, where the Samish is in dry dock, to track down the exact cause of the corrosion. They are also bringing in an independent corrosion expert and have nitiated a warranty claim with Vigor.

Repairs are currently underway while they definitively determine the cause of the corrosion.

“The dry dock is available until March 10 and we expect the Samish to return to service shortly thereafter,” said John B. Vezina, Government Relations Liaison for WSF. “The public’s safety was never compromised and, out of an abundance of caution, we will also be examining the other Olympic Class vessel, Tokitae, this week.”

The Coast Guard has been part of this process from the beginning and they are working with WSF to further guarantee this issue is fully corrected.