09.12.24

Kitsap Transit Awarded $13.5M to Replace Aging Kingston-Seattle Fast Ferry

Cantwell wrote a letter in support of the grant application to DOT; The old vessel, the MV Finest, broke down last month due to a mechanical failure & paused Kingston-Seattle service

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that Kitsap Transit has received $13.5 million in federal funding to replace the fast ferry that serves the Kingston-Seattle route.

The grant will pay to replace the MV Finest, which broke down in late August due to a water jet malfunction and forced Kitsap Transit to temporarily halt the Kingston-Seattle route. The MV Finest is 25 years old and has reached its limits of repair and refurbishment -- the cost to refurbish the vessel would likely cost Kitsap Transit 75% or more of the cost of a new vessel.

"More than 270,000 Kitsap County residents count on the ferry system to get them to work, school, doctor appointments, sports and cultural events, and more. This grant will replace a 25-year-old fast ferry that broke down just last month with a new eco-friendly vessel on the Kingston-Seattle route," said Sen. Cantwell. "As ridership on Kitsap Transit's fast ferries soars, this new ferry will deliver the world-class service and reliability Washingtonians deserve."

The total cost of the vessel replacement is $17,531,963. Federal funds announced today from the Federal Transit Administration's Passenger Ferry Grant Program will cover 77% of the project. The new vessel will utilize Environmental Protection Agency Tier 4 engines, which meet the strictest requirements for regulation of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. In July, before the MV Finest broke down, Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of the grant application.

Exactly 23 years ago, MV Finest was used to help evacuate lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001. It was the second vessel to arrive on the scene.

As the operator of the second-largest ferry fleet in the state, Kitsap Transit connects over 270,000 residents on the Kitsap Peninsula with Seattle and other parts of the state via three routes that cross the Puget Sound. This service is a vital transportation link to employment, education, healthcare, and entertainment across the Sound.

In 2023, Kitsap Transit's fast ferry service transported over one million riders. They expect to serve more in 2024, as their fast ferry system transported 40,800 more riders in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023.

As chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Sen. Cantwell has consistently championed investments in the State of Washington's transportation systems and has helped secure federal funding for important infrastructure and transit expansion projects throughout the state.

In November, Sen. Cantwell announced that Washington State Ferries would receive $4.3 million to extend the lifespan of six aging vessels by up to 10 years. In January 2023, Sen. Cantwell announced that Washington State Ferries would receive three grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) totaling $11.6 million, including a grant to electrify the Mukilteo-Clinton route. Sen. Cantwell also played an instrumental role in securing $25 million to replace the 60-year-old Lummi Island ferry with a state-of-the-art electric hybrid vessel. In August 2023, Sen. Cantwell announced a $44.6 million grant to help convert three Washington State Ferries to hybrid-electric propulsion systems, along with a $100 million contract with shipbuilder Vigor.

Sen. Cantwell has additionally been a strong supporter of robust increases to competitive transit grant programs such as the Capital Investment Grant Program, the Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant Program, the Bus and Bus Facilities Grant Program, and the Passenger Ferry Grant Program.

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