Washington shipyards bid for ferry contract

The initial field is set for the eventual selection of a shipyard to build four new vessels for Washington State Ferries (WSF). Five local shipyards have submitted information to WSF to commence the pre-qualification process set forth in the project ?request for proposals?. The five shipyards are Everett Shipyard, J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding, Nichols Bros., Todd Pacific Shipyards and Santa Maria Steel. The latter is a proposed new shipyard location.

Shipyard site visits are the next step in the pre-qualification process followed by the submittal of financial data that is due in June. By summer, WSF will determine which of the five shipyards will successfully pre-qualify for the project. Up to three shipyards can be selected at that time and, at that point, the pre-qualified shipyards will submit more detailed proposals to WSF to help determine the best qualified of the remaining shipyards.

Four new ferries to carry 1,202 passengers and crew and 130 cars will be constructed in a multi-year program. The program will allow the oldest ferries in the fleet, i.e. Quinault, Nisqually, Klickitat and Illahee, to be retired and will bring new levels of efficiency, reliability and flexibility to the system’s ferry fleet. The plan is for the first new vessel to be delivered in 2008.

A separate procurement contract has also been issued for the complete diesel mechanical propulsion system for the new quartet which is designed to have a service speed of 17 knots. This shall consist of propulsion diesel engines, reduction gears, hydraulic clutches, diesel engine output shafting and component, high speed shafting and components, propeller shafting and components, controllable pitch propeller system, an alarm and monitoring system and related items.