Contaminated fuel caused WSF ferry grounding
Written by Nick Blenkey
Washington State Department of Ecology tweeted this photograph of Walla Walla grounded just off Bainbridge Island last month.
A little more than two weeks after running aground in Rich Passage, the Washington State Ferries (WSF) Jumbo-class ferry Walla Walla returned to service May 3 on the Seattle/Bremerton route. WSF says that internal and U.S. Coast Guard investigation teams determined that contaminated fuel led to a generator failure resulting in a loss of propulsion and steering controls. Backup systems were also affected by the same fuel issue, resulting in a second generator failure within seconds of the first.
After inspections, repairs, testing, and dock and sea trials, the vessel is back in service. The investigation into how the fuel was contaminated is ongoing. To ensure a similar incident does not occur, all fuel currently on board has tested clean. New, upgraded generator monitoring gauges have also been installed on both Walla Walla and its sister ship Spokane.
“Since ships began using liquid fuels more than 100 years ago, vessel operators and engineers have long known the hazards associated with contaminated fuel,” the Coast Guard noted in a Marine Safety Alert issued in May of last year after a towing vessel experienced a loss of all propulsion while operating on the Mississippi River. That loss of power was attributed to water contamination of the fuel.
