Yakima ferry is being worked on; 30-minute delays on mainland and San Juan Islands runs

The Yakima was earlier reported to have a problem with its thrust bearing. It was towed to Washington State Ferries' Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island overnight last Friday to Saturday, and WSF maintenance crews are working on the problem/investigating the cause.

January 10, 2012 2:08 pm

The Yakima has been towed to Washington State Ferries’ Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility on Bainbridge Island and WSF maintenance crews are working on a problem with the thrust bearing.

“We do not have an estimate as to when the Yakima will return to service,” said communications specialist Laura Johnson.

The 64-car Chetzemoka, which had been in standby status, was sent to the San Juan Islands Friday evening and began serving as the inter-island vessel Monday. There is no weekend inter-island service in the winter schedule.

The 87-car Evergreen State, 90-car Sealth, and 144-car Elwha are currently serving as the mainland vessels.

“We are experiencing delays of approximately 30 minutes since the Evergreen State is a slower vessel than the Yakima,” said Johnson. “We are providing updates to customers via email alerts.”