Vigor completes Wenatchee hybrid-electric conversion
Written by Nick Blenkey
Photo: WSF
Vigor Marine Seattle, has completed the M/V Wenatchee hybrid-electric conversion project, marking a major milestone in Washington State Ferries’ (WSF) effort to modernize its aging fleet and reduce carbon emissions.
The 202-vehicle Wenatchee, one of the three largest ferries in the WSF system and now the largest U.S. passenger ferry to be electrified, is expected to return to service on the Seattle/Bainbridge route this summer.
“The Wenatchee conversion is a testament to the innovation, craftsmanship, and dedication of our workforce, as well as our successful partnership with Washington State Ferries,” said Adam Beck, executive vice president and head of maintenance and modernization Pacific at Vigor Marine Group. “By building on decades of experience supporting the U.S. Navy and other government and commercial customers, our skilled employees at Vigor rose to the challenge and completed a complex conversion.”
Over the course of nearly 21 months, approximately 700 employees worked on the project. All nearly 600 craft production workers were union-represented skilled tradespeople.
Key work completed at Vigor included the removal of two diesel generators, construction of two battery rooms housing 864 battery modules, installation of new propulsion control systems, thousands of feet of new electric and fiber optic cable, and upgrades to onboard systems and passenger areas.
“This project reflects the extraordinary skill and commitment of our team,” said Mike Pearson, general manager of Vigor Marine Seattle. “Their work not only modernized a critical vessel—it helps move the entire region toward a more sustainable future.”
WSF has accepted the vessel from Vigor and sea trials and crew training are now underway.
“I rode aboard the Wenatchee during sea trials on Friday as it ran on electric power,” said WSDOT Deputy Secretary Steve Nevey, head of Washington State Ferries. “This is a huge moment for us. It’s the first ferry in our system to run fully on battery power. I went down into the engine room and watched as the crew started up the engines on diesel. Then, it seamlessly transitioned to full battery power. It was smooth and quiet. Seeing it work was one of the most exciting things I’ve been part of in a long time. So, what’s next? We took Wenatchee back from Vigor shipyard yesterday and it’s now at our Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility. Our employees are working hard to get it ready for service. They’ll need about four to five more weeks for training, sea trials and final approval from the U.S. Coast Guard. I’m really looking forward to the future of our electrification program. Thank you to all the employees who worked so hard to make this happen.
The conversion is part of WSF’s long-term System Electrification Program, which aims to modernize six existing ferries and build 16 new hybrid-electric ferries by 2040. Once completed and using shore charging, the Wenatchee, Tacoma, and Puyallup—collectively known as the Jumbo Mark II class—will help cut WSF’s diesel consumption by over 4.7 million gallons annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from these vessels by roughly 95%.
Nevey had more good news to report in his most recent weekly update.
“Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the 2025-2027 state budgets last week,” he wrote. “I’m excited to share that nearly $900 million from the transportation budget will go to capital projects for our ferry system. More than half of that money is for our new vessel builds and electrification efforts. This is a big step toward a cleaner, quieter and more sustainable future. The balance goes to improving our terminals, maintaining our aging fleet and information technology upgrades.”
