As a third-generation Bremerton-born Washingtonian, I love Kitsap County, living and working on Puget Sound. But too many in our communities are experiencing increasingly unreliable Washington State Ferries service. Canceled sailings and reduced service when vessels are out of commission for a backlog of maintenance and repairs, threaten people’s health, livelihood and commercial businesses we transport every day.
As a career licensed oiler who has worked for WSF for more than a decade, I can no longer remain silent in the face of mounting mismanagement by the state. It’s important for the public to understand what’s driving so many cancellations.
Ferries depend on four hundred oilers, wipers, and marine engineers to repair, maintain and operate Washington’s ferry vessels. If even one of us Coast Guard required crew members is not able to work that day, a boat gets tied up. We are the invisible crew most ferry riders don’t know about, but we are essential to the safe, reliable and efficient operation of every ferry in the Washington State fleet. Our jobs require extensive education, training, and testing coupled with years of experience to achieve necessary qualifications to crew ferry engine rooms. Our responsibilities include: power plant operation, marine diesel mechanics, electrical troubleshooting and repair, machining, welding and fabrication, plumbing, HVAC maintenance and repair. We are also firemen and first responders to name just a few. Marine engineers are the first line of defense any time there is a problem keeping the ferries in operation. We literally fix everything on the ship!