Two Shipyards Compete for Kingston Ferry Contract - Kitsap Sun

By Ed Friedrich
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

KINGSTON — Two Puget Sound shipyards are vying to build a passenger-only ferry for the Port of Kingston.

Representatives from All American Marine of Bellingham and Kvichak Marine Industries of Seattle attended a mandatory pre-proposal conference Tuesday morning at the port’s office.

The port requested bids on Sept. 4 for an aluminum catamaran capable of carrying 150 people between Kingston and downtown Seattle. The trip, at 25 knots, would take about 35 minutes. Bids are due on Oct. 16. Port commissioners expect to issue a notice to proceed on about Dec. 2 and have the boat on the water within a year.

Art Parker from Kvichak, and All American’s Joe Hudspeth, Gene Quanz and Del McAlpine clarified proposal expectations with Marty Robbins, who is managing the ferry project for the port. During the two-hour meeting, they discussed such things as crewing, bonding, acceptance trials, progress payments, freeboard at the docks and fueling.

“As pre-proposal conferences go, this is the best one I’ve ever done,” Robbins said. “No one ever wants to talk. Everyone wants to keep their cards close to their vests.”

The port owns a loading dock in Kingston, has an agreement with the state to use a terminal in Seattle, received a $3 million grant from the Federal Transportation Administration to buy a boat, and got $150,000 from the state Legislature this year to help with first-year operating costs. A new boat is expected to cost at least $2 million.

All American Marine has built more than 100 aluminum boats since it was founded in 1987. Its early mainstay was the “bow-picker” used in Alaska commercial fisheries. Ten years ago it moved into the high-tech catamaran business in partnership with New Zealand naval architect Nic deWaal. All American is building Kitsap Transit a 118-passenger, ultra low-wake catamaran for $5.3 million.

Kvichak has built aluminum boats since 1981 for law enforcement, firefighting, passenger ferries and commercial use. It recently teamed with Nichols Brothers Boat Builders to deliver two high-speed catamarans to the Water Emergency Transportation Authority in San Francisco. They cruise at 25 knots, seat 149 passengers inside and 49 outside, and carry 35 bikes.

“We’ve got two good shipyards here to bid on it, and the port is going to get a good boat at the end of the day,” Robbins said.

Robbins lives in Silverdale but spends every other week in Vallejo, Calif., where he is general manager of the city’s Baylink ferry system. It runs four 34-knot, 300-passenger ferries between Vallejo and San Francisco. Three were built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes.

If that isn’t enough, Robbins is the project manager for overhauling and repowering Washington State Ferries’ former fast ferries, the Chinook and Snohomish, for Golden Gate Ferries.

Golden Gate bought them from Washington state for a total of $4 million. The Snohomish’s name was changed to the Napa. It took over temporarily for the Del Norte on the Larkspur-San Francisco route in June when the Del Norte went in for new engines.

The Chinook remains at Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island. Golden Gate Ferries is taking bids on refurbishing it and the former Snohomish, including expanding them from 350 to 450 passengers, Robbins said. The Chinook will be towed to a Washington or California shipyard. After that, the Snohomish will be worked on at the same place.

All three boats were built by Dakota Creek Industries


Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/29/two-shipyards-compete-kingston-ferry-contract/#ixzz0Sbko9oY2

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Keeping King County's tiny Navy afloat

Keeping King County's tiny Navy afloat

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This parallels Tim Eyman's Initiative 1033 - More to follow

The rust bucket Hyak - Kitsap Sun

Demeroutis VP Labor Relations at Crowley - marinelink.com

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced that effective October 1, Steve Demeroutis will assume the role of vice president, labor relations, replacing Jerry Dowd who is retiring after 25 years of service. Demeroutis is domiciled in Jacksonville and reports to Bill Pennella, vice chairman and executive vice president.

In his new position, Demeroutis will be responsible for the development and implementation of Crowley's overall labor strategy. He will also oversee contract negotiations, union relationships and the day-to-day administration of collective bargaining agreements throughout the entire Crowley organization and will have functional responsibility for labor relations for all Crowley subsidiaries. Reporting to Demeroutis will be both East and West Coast labor functions.

Demeroutis joined Crowley in 2007 as director, labor relations. He has more than 15 years of experience in labor relations including his prior position as vice president, United Inland Group of the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots. He served as a trustee for several different employee health and benefits plans and has conducted educational seminars for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. He received his Master's license in 1986 and sailed as Master and First Class Pilot with the Washington State ferries.

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Ensenada Harbor

OPED - Kitsap Sun

MY TURN | Ferry Riders Should Be Grateful for Taxpayers' Help

BELFAIR — Reader submitted

This commentary is solely my opinion and not that of the Washington Transportation Commission (of which I am a member) or any elected official; I am not an elected official, nor am I likely to ever be one.

Your paper frequently publishes news and commentary regarding the Washington State Ferries (WSF) and the news articles are generally pretty accurate. Your opinion pieces are sometimes on track, but last Wednesday’s community columnist — complaining about ferry service, high rates, inadequate taxpayer subsidy, and ill treatment of Bremerton — needs some help connecting the dots. Let me try.

First, most of us on the west side of Puget Sound chose to live here. There are many reasons for our choice — our job, favorable surroundings, family ties, and, for many, the lower cost of housing. Second, crossing water, whether by bridge or by ferry, costs much more than crossing land. Watercraft that move people and automobiles are so expensive to operate that the general public could not afford fares high enough to safely run the system as a private operation. That is why the State took over the ferry system from Black Ball in the 1950s. Third, the ferry system received a large state subsidy from the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET) until voters, including a large majority on the Kitsap Peninsula, made clear in supporting I-695 they did not want to pay that tax. Voter decisions have consequences. Repeal of the MVET cost WSF 58 percent of its operating support and 70 percent of its capital support. It has struggled ever since.

With that kind of loss, the State had to make changes. It could reduce service, it could increase fares, or it could shift money from funds primarily used to build and maintain highways. It chose to do a little of all those things. Fares have increased substantially — perhaps as much as 70 percent over the last 10 years — an increase which doesn’t cover the fuel cost inflation we have experienced over much shorter periods of time. WSF also has received an increased share of gas taxes over the last 10 years. That is testament to the effectiveness of elected representatives from this area in the State Senate and House — most members of the Legislature are not from ferry-dependent counties. Every dollar that goes to the ferry system could have been spent on highway projects in large population centers like Spokane, Seattle, or Vancouver, USA .

Is the ferry system receiving its “fair share”? State fuel tax revenue received by the Department of Transportation (WSDOT) funds construction and major repairs to all state highways, bridges and other state transportation facilities. That is the WSDOT Capital Budget. Of that capital budget about 6 percent ($285 million), is allocated for ferries and terminals over the next 2 years (2009-2011). In addition to the Capital Budget WSDOT has an Operations and Maintenance budget, which also comes primarily from fuel taxes. Of the total statewide WSDOT operations and maintenance budget fully 37 percent ($400 million) is allocated to ferries. That is a lot of money and a large portion of the entire transportation budget. Yet it is not enough.

WSF has just enough fully functioning ferries to serve the existing schedule. Any glitch causes a reshuffling and those routes with the most demand will get first crack at the most ferry capacity. Fares are high, but don’t cover even 70 percent of operating costs — the remainder of operating costs and all capital costs (i.e. money for building ferries and retrofitting terminals) comes from fuel taxes.

Contrary to the belief of some, the Transportation Commission is a group concerned about keeping the system running in the absence of sufficient money coming from elsewhere. And that is true even though 4 of the 7 members do not live in the Puget Sound area — indeed, only 2 of us ride ferries frequently.

It is time for people to get real. Transportation, like any other public or private service, costs money. Ferries cost more than most any other form of surface transportation. People on this side of the water have long opposed another bridge. Voters who want lower taxes need to recognize there are consequences of lower taxes. Every day people consciously or unconsciously decide whether the benefits they enjoy from living on the west side of the water are worth the inevitable transportation costs and inherent inconveniences. Looking for scapegoats is a time honored human endeavor — however, it does interfere with rational thinking and, worse, it produces no answers. People on this side of the water or who live on islands should enjoy their beautiful surroundings, experience the area opportunities, appreciate the cheaper housing, recognize their taxes are relatively low, appreciate the benefits of lower population, and be thankful that other taxpayers are helping them.


Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/20/my-turn-ferry-riders-should-be-grateful-for-help/#ixzz0RrB2V0Xw

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