Todd wins two more car ferries

Washington State Ferries (WSF) has signed a contract with Todd Shipyards to build two 64-car ferries at a total cost of $114 million.

The decision comes after the Seattle shipbuilder submitted the lone, $114m bid to build the vessels, which also have capacity for 750 passengers. The shipyard has 20 months to build the ships. Under the deal, WSF has until May 2011 to exercise an option for a 64-car or 144-car ferry.

Todd already has a contract to build an identical vessel for delivery in 2010. WSF plans to use all three vessels on its Townsend-Keystone route, whose ferries were put out of service after hull pitting was uncovered. “These locally built ferries will improve the reliability of auto-passenger ferry service to the communities they will serve,” Washington state governor Chris Gregoire said in a statement.