Port of Kingston sells last of SoundRunner ferries

KINGSTON, Wash. – The Port of Kingston commissioners have voted to sell the former ferry Kingston Express for $250,000 to Pacific Cruises Northwest, a Bellingham company that offers trips in Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands.

The Kitsap Sun reports the move Friday lifts the port’s burden of trying to find a home for the Express, which has been sitting at the dock since the SoundRunner passenger-only ferry service went under in 2012. It also opens up a slip for the M/V Finest, the vessel Kitsap Transit will use to run its own fast-ferry service to Seattle beginning in 2018.

The SoundRunner service ran between Kingston and Seattle from 2010 to 2012. The port abandoned the service in 2012 amid low ridership and vessel breakdowns.

After SoundRunner ended, the port transferred one of its two vessels, the Spirit of Kingston, to King County. But it struggled to find a buyer for the Express.