Scrapped ferries may have new life

SEATTLE — A decline in steel prices brought on by the wobbly world economy may have a silver lining for Washington’s oldest ferries.

A deal to chop up and recycle the 1927-vintage Steel Electric vessels at a Mexican ship- breaking yard has been placed on hold for at least six months — or even longer.

The state is exploring new options for disposing of the aging vessels, said Marta Coursey, communications director for the ferries division of the state Department of Transportation.

Ferry officials on Friday sent notices to people considered potentially interested in paying a minimum of $650,000 to acquire all four of the Steel Electric ferries, the Klickitat, Illahee, Quinault and Nisqually. The proposals are due by Monday afternoon.

A Tacoma firm that earlier showed interest in acquiring the vessels may submit a proposal, Tim McGuigan, director of legal services and contracts for the ferry system, said Tuesday.

The company discussed some sort of “local reuse of the vessels,” McGuigan said, declining to provide more details. Calls to the company on Tuesday were not returned.

The old ferries can’t return to service because they do not meet Coast Guard standards. Repeated engineering studies determined that trying to upgrade them is not economically practical.

Some have suggested the hulls still are capable, though, of being tied up and used as floating waterfront space for restaurants or offices. That’s already happened to a sister ferry, the Enetai, now called the Santa Rosa, and moored in San Francisco.

State crews already have stripped the Steel Electrics of items that can be used elsewhere in the fleet. The boats also cleared an inspection seeking potentially hazardous materials.

The recycling plan is on hold because of falling steel prices, which now are about one-fifth of what they were when deal was struck, Coursey said. It will remain a backup option if the new efforts bear no fruit.

Whoever acquires the Steel Electrics will be required to swiftly move them from Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, where they’ve been tied up for months. The ferry fleet has other needs for the space, Coursey said.

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