Tim Clancy and Eagle Harbor

For another part of my action, I visited the WSF Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility. It is next to the terminal at Bainbridge Island. Tim Clancy, the General Manager of Eagle harbor talked with me, answered my questions and showed me around. He took me onto the Salish and the Samish, two boats that were currently in maintenance. They are on the newer side; the Salish is the smallest in the fleet, and the Samish is on the bigger side, 20 cars more than our normal vessel capacity on the north end. He showed me around the shops with all of the maintenance work and equipment, and took me around the inside of the ferries. Some photos can be seen below in a short clip. Below that you can find the answers to some of the questions I asked Tim in advance.

Questions for Tim Clancy

Your Role

What does your role as the General Manager of Eagle Harbor consist of day-to-day?

As the General Manager “GM” of the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility I am responsible for the safe and efficient accomplishment of WSF terminal and vessel maintenance and repairs.  I am responsible for the health and safety of the approximately 150 workers assigned to Eagle Harbor who perform the work, and for ensuring that work is performed in accordance with various labor union agreements.  I am responsible for managing the Eagle Harbor budget (approximately $14 Million).

How did you come up to this position?

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and graduated from Mercer Island High School.  But it really started when my dad and I took a US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Power Squadrons Safe Boating Class when I was in the 8th grade.  We had a 12-foot fiberglass boat with an outboard motor that we took out on Lake Washington.  My family also learned to sail with a club/school at Shilshole Marina on Puget Sound, and this started a lifelong love of boating.  I was also a big fan of the Jacques Cousteau TV shows and knew early on that I wanted to study oceanography.  I attended the University of Washington, transferred to the Florida Institute of Technology and graduated with a B.S. in Oceanography.  That degree qualified me to become a Commissioned Officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) where I spent 21 years between ship and shore assignments.  The highlight of that career was being the Commanding Officer of two NOAA research vessels, the DAVID STARR JORDAN out of San Diego and the MILLER FREEMAN out of Seattle.  When I retired in 2004, I went to work for US Marine (Bayliner) company in Arlington, WA manufacturing Meridian Yachts.  That business closed in 2008 during the “Great Recession”, and I went to work at the Todd Pacific / Vigor Shipyards where I was a project manager in the Ship Repair Division – fixing Washington State Ferries and US Coast Guard Icebreakers.  I then went to work for Vigor Fabrication as a Production Supervisor for the construction of the Olympic class vessels SAMISH and CHIMACUM.  In 2017, after the construction of the SUQUAMISH started, I was laid off and applied to a newly created WSF position of Vessel Maintenance Manager at Eagle Harbor and was hired.  I worked my way up to General Manager at Eagle Harbor when those positions opened up due to retirements.

I’ve provided more info than necessary here for this question, only because I want young people to know that it is important to follow their dreams, and that the path to success may take many detours along the way.   Always seek opportunities and don’t be afraid of trying something – even if it doesn’t first appear to be taking you in the direction you want to go. 

New Vessels

What are the steps to getting a new vessel? Price?

The transportation needs of the commuting public drive the demand for vessels.  Funding comes from the Legislature in various State Transportation Budgets.  The Federal Transit Administration also provides the State with funding for maintenance.

In 2019 WSF provided the “2040 Long Range Plan” to the Legislature based on input from ferry customers, the public, and stakeholders.  It outlined the number of terminals and vessels needed for the future.  The plan recommends building 16 new vessels over the next 20 years to keep pace with an aging fleet and ensure necessary relief vessels to maintain reliable service.  (Washington State Ferries Long Range Plan | WSDOT)

The global energy transition from fossil fuels to electric technologies to reduce emissions has been embraced by the maritime industry and Washington State Department of Transportation.  Washington State Ferries will be constructing hybrid-electric and electric vessels as part of the long-range plan.

[WSF is the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions among Washington state agencies, burning approximately nineteen million gallons of diesel fuel to support nearly twenty million passengers every year. Transitioning to a hybrid-electric fleet is necessary to reduce emissions, ensure resiliency, and save millions in fuel costs].

WSF is set to construct new hybrid-electric ferries as part of a nearly $4 billion project to completely electrify the fleet by 2040.  

The Legislature recently allocated $1.68 billion for the construction of up to five new boats.  In 2025, through a competitive bidding process, Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Florida has been awarded a contract to build two, with an option for an additional third, 160-vehicle hybrid-electric ferries.  (1st vessel: $405 million, 2nd vessel: $360 million, 3rd vessel: $325 million).

How are the new ferries and hybrid charging areas going to merge with the current systems?

WSDOT’s (WSF) Ferry System Electrification Program is responsible for the new vessel construction and the terminal electrification construction.

In collaboration with regional utilities, WSF is updating sixteen terminals to charge hybrid-electric ferries. We established memorandums of understanding with Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy to collaborate on near-term terminal power needs. Adding power involves routing new dedicated power lines and installing switchgear and a vessel charging system. A design-build contract for the Seattle Terminal is anticipated in 2026.

Will the rest be converted?

The current plan is to convert six existing vessels to hybrid-electric.  We recently completed conversion of the WENATCHEE (Jumbo Mark II Class).

Changes and Challenges

What are some big changes recently done in the ferry system?

The recent conversion of the WENATCHEE (Jumbo Mk II Class) from all diesel power to diesel-electric power is really a big change for WSF.  It is the largest hybrid-electric vessel in North America.  

In March 2025, WSF announced that midlife upgrades and hybrid-electric conversion work on the TACOMA and PUYALLUP will be delayed until after the 2026 World Cup. This change is part of Governor Ferguson and WSF's plan to restore service to pre-pandemic levels.

Are there any current challenges with the maintenance of any facilities or vessels that are affecting the fleet?

Modernization of our terminals is well underway as part of the Long-Range Plan.

WSF recently completed construction of the new Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal, we are nearing completion of the Colman Dock -Seattle Multimodal Terminal, and we will soon start the SR 160 – Fauntleroy Terminal Trestle and Transfer Span Replacement. 

For vessels, our biggest challenge is having enough time to perform US Coast Guard required drydocking inspections and planned maintenance given that we are operating all of our available vessels.

A more complete assessment can be found in the  Washington State Ferries Service Contingency Plan which cites vessel availability and crew availability as major constraints to service.

At Eagle Harbor, as in the maritime construction/commercial shipyard (repair and new-build) industry in general, there is an acute shortage of skilled marine crafts-persons in many of the trades (Electricians/Electronics Technicians, Machinists, Welders, Pipefitters, and Sheet Metal).  This is due to many factors, including:

• Demographics, the US skilled workforce is aging and retiring, and fewer new workers are learning the skills to replace retiring workers.

• Generational shift away from work in manufacturing as a whole.

• Competition from other industries for workers, resulting in recruiting and retention challenges.

What are some future plans for the ferries that will help address problems?

We will continue to follow the WSF Service Contingency and 2040 Long Range plans.

For some problems with the system that are still being addressed, what can people do as workarounds or to help fix the issues?

• Maintenance

Continue as best we can with preventive maintenance and respond as quickly as possible to unplanned repairs.

• What does an annual repair to a vessel look like?

Every active vessel in the fleet comes to Eagle Harbor once per year for an “annual lay-up” maintenance period.  The durations last from 3-6 weeks depending on the needs as determined by the Vessel Engineering & Maintenance Division’s Port Engineer and the vessels Staff Chief Engineer.

This maintenance can include Main Engine and Ships Service Diesel Generator overhauls/rebuilds, car deck steel replacement, electrical and navigation equipment maintenance, paint work, and standard item repairs by the various Eagle Harbor Shops (Carpenter, Electric, Electronics, Insulation, Lock, Machine, Pipe, Sheet Metal, Shore Gang, and Weld).

• How does dock repair work?

Similar process to the vessels.  Terminal Engineers issue work orders to Eagle Harbor for repairs and preventive maintenance tasks.

• Response to Events

Eagle Harbor responds 24-hours per day / 7-days per week by direction of the Terminal Engineering and Vessel Port Engineer to any terminal or vessel emergency.

• What is the response if a vessel needs emergency service or an event happens, like the 2022 crash with the Cathlamet?

WSF Operations alerts all WSF divisions in an emergency for a coordinated response.  Division leaders are on-call 24/7.

• How are the ferry schedules created and changed for holidays and emergency out-of-service times?

The WSF Service Contingency Plan addresses emergency out-of-service times.  Additionally, the Operations and Communication Teams are involved.

• Future Changes

To be determined…

• What will be done with the currently and soon-to-be retired vessels?

Our decommissioned vessels are surplused via public sales for repurpose or environmentally responsible steel recycling.  A local shipyard (Everett Ship Repair) recently purchased one of our decommissioned vessels (ELWHA) for use as a floating office and storage facility.  We currently have two vessels at Eagle Harbor, the HYAK and KLAHOWYA, that we are trying to surplus.

• Are there any changes with Eagle Harbor planned or recently done?

By direction/funding from the Legislature and bargaining with our labor unions, the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility established a Second Shift work force of 29 workers in June of 2024.  These workers work a 10-hour day, Monday through Thursday.  This allows us to accomplish more work in a calendar day than with Dayshift alone.

We would like to do more work-force development in the future, including apprentices and trainees.