04/22/2006: "WSF: Elwha Breakdown To Impact Sji Capacity"

SEATTLE -- On April 7, 2006 the M/V Elwha suffered a drive motor casualty, damaging the armature and causing a great deal of damage to the commutator. The prognosis for the vessel is not good in the short term.

The 144-car Elwha was originally scheduled for a major maintenance interval, from October until February 2007, for a new paint job, propulsion control system and other refurbishment. The current casualty means that the vessel will not be available this Spring or Summer, allowing some of the work planned for next fall to be completed early. However, the vessel will still not be available for service until February.

From April 21 through April 27, capacity for cars and people will be increased when the 144- car M/V Yakima returns, and the 144-car M/V Hyak then replaces the 90-car M/V Sealth.
On April 28, the Sealth will replace the Hyak, which will come south to the Bremerton route for almost three weeks and then returns to the San Juans to replace the Sealth until summer schedule, which begins June 12.

"We want to ensure that our customers can get to the Islands easily," says Traci Brewer-Rogstad, Director of Operations for Washington State Ferries. "Customers planning evening travel to Orcas, Lopez or Shaw Islands are encouraged to plan to sail on the 6 p.m. or 6:35 p.m. sailings from Anacortes Sunday through Thursday. The last sailing of the day, the 8:25 p.m. sailing, is the 124-car Chelan which has slightly less capacity than usual.

It is not easy to repair a drive motor, according the Port Engineers. The damaged part must be removed from the vessel and sent to a shop capable of performing the work on a machine of this size. The contractor then removes the commutator from the drive motor armature, fabricates a new one and reattaches it. When the new equipment is returned to the Elwha, it must be installed and tested.

Although the Elwha runs International service to Sidney, British Columbia, it also runs domestic service, affecting capacity in the San Juan Islands. The 124-car M/V Chelan is replacing the 144-car Elwha.

Schedulers and operations managers have been working to develop a workable contingency plan that will provide relief for the islands, which are just beginning their busy season.

"It is never easy when a major vessel breakdown occurs," says Brewer-Rogstad, "but we have tried to maximize capacity in the islands whenever possible and will continue to do so throughout the summer season."