Washington State Ferries: Contaminated fuel led to Walla Walla grounding

The state ferry Walla Walla has been cleared and returned to service on the Bremerton-Seattle run Wednesday, about two and a half weeks after the vessel grounded in Rich Passage on Bainbridge Island.

Washington State Ferries said that it and the Coast Guard determined that contaminated fuel led to a generator failure, including in backup systems, which resulted in a loss of propulsion and steering controls and led to the grounding on April 15. WSF said an investigation into how the fuel was contaminated was ongoing.

WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling said a fuel filter became clogged, which shut down a generator, and a backup generator failed for the same reason. Crew members didn’t have enough time to get a third generator online, he said.

Fuel tanks were cleaned, and fuel has been tested and found to be clean as well, he said. New, upgraded monitoring gauges have been installed on the Walla Walla and the Spokane, the state’s other Jumbo-class ferry.

“This is a really rare thing,” Sterling said. “It shouldn’t happen again. We’re 100% sure, both us and the Coast Guard, that this isn’t going to repeat.”

Accounts said the vessel slowly came in to where it landed on the beach, and the ferry sustained only minor damage, scratches on its hull and a bent propeller, which was set back in place without the vessel having to go into dry dock. A cost estimate for the repairs was not immediately available Wednesday.

Nearly 600 passengers and 15 crew members were aboard the vessel when it scraped up against the beach on Bainbridge Island. Those aboard were evacuated to Bremerton on Kitsap Transit ferries. Eventually, Walla Walla floated as the tide rose, and the vessel was towed back to Bremerton.

Walla Walla is currently the only vessel in service on the state’s Bremerton route.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Walla Walla ferry grounding caused by contaminated fuel