WA ferry runs aground on Bainbridge Island after losing power

SEATTLE – The ferry Walla Walla, headed from Bremerton to Seattle, ran aground around 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Rich Passage, Washington State Ferries said.

No injuries have been reported in the incident on the south end of Bainbridge Island, and people onboard were wearing life vests.

Washington State Ferries spokesperson Diana Rhodes said it appeared the ferry lost power. There are 596 passengers and 15 crew members onboard.

Shortly after 8 p.m., passengers were being loaded onto Kitsap Transit fast ferries to be taken to Bremerton.

Low tide was around 8 p.m., noted Washington State Ferries. Vessel engineers believe the tide will be at the right height around midnight to safely tow the boat.

“We apologize to passengers,” a post from Washington State Ferries said. “Their safety is our first priority.”

One passenger had a medical emergency unrelated to the grounding. The U.S. Coast Guard evacuated the person. Another patient was being treated onboard. Both were in stable condition.

Kitsap County canceled four fast ferry sailings between Bremerton and Port Orchard so boats could assist with transporting the stranded passengers. Each fast ferry can carry about 250 people. It takes them about 30 minutes to travel between Bremerton and Seattle.

Bus drivers were ready in the event they need to assist getting people to their destinations. People in Seattle trying to get to Bremerton can instead take a ferry to Bainbridge Island and catch a bus.

Kori Abbott, 48, owns a home on Pleasant Beach. She said she saw the ferry drifting to shore directly at her house.

“It’s really hair-raising to see something that large coming right at the shore,” she said. “We made a run for it.”

She took her 7-year-old daughter and dog and ran up their driveway and across the street. They listened for a crash, but no crash came. They went back into the house and saw the ferry had beached nearby.

About a hundred people gathered on the shore to watch the scene, including a group of children who set up a table advertising hot chocolate.

Bainbridge Island fire Chief Jared Moravec has been with the department since 2006 and hasn’t seen another incident like it.

“This is definitely not something we see every day,” he said.

An investigation will follow. Additional information was not immediately available.

No pollution or hull damage has been found, the Washington Department of Ecology said.