Washington State Ferries hits early snags as it works toward return to normal service

Washington State Ferries was set to start the return to full fall service last Friday. That plan hit an early snag on Monday, with multiple sailings canceled over crew shortages.

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That included the cancellation of all Monday evening’s sailings for one of the boats serving the San Juan Islands. A roundtrip sailing between Seattle and Bremerton for this afternoon was canceled for the same reason, with service scheduled to resume at 2:50 p.m.

Staffing shortages have meant unexpected cuts on nearly all runs for more than a month. As it gradually returns to fall service, WSF has been operating on a reduced schedule on most routes to help cut down on cancellations.

“These changes will help offer more predictable and reliable service systemwide in the face of crewing shortages due to a global shortage of mariners that has been worsened by the pandemic,” it said in a Sunday update. “WSF will attempt to add service when possible, and will provide notifications when full service can temporarily be restored to a route.”

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Meanwhile, there will be no accepted new reservations for San Juan Islands sailings “until further notice.” Existing reservations will be honored on a first-come/first-serve basis ahead of vehicles without reservations. WSF advises those traveling on standby to “get to the terminal early,” and to expect delays.

The ferry service says it is working to add more sailings for the holiday weekend.