Mercedes Mullins
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the US state of Washington. It is the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world, with 21 vessels carrying 18.66 million riders in 2023. The fleet uses diesel fuel to power its engines and is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government, burning approximately 19 million gallons of diesel fuel annually to support nearly 20 million passengers. Diesel trucks travel to terminals to fuel the ferries, except for the five largest boats, which go to a fuel dock in the Duwamish Waterway. In recent years, WSF has been transitioning to hybrid-electric power to reduce emissions, ensure resiliency, and cut costs.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current fuel type | Diesel |
| Fuel consumption | 19 million gallons of diesel fuel annually |
| Fuel cost | $19 million per year |
| Fuel provider | Diesel trucks travel to terminals to fuel the ferries except for the five largest boats, which go to a fuel dock in the Duwamish Waterway |
| Alternative fuel | Hybrid-electric |
| Alternative fuel cost | Expected to save $19 million per year |
| Alternative fuel provider | N/A |
| Alternative fuel consumption | N/A |
| Transition to alternative fuel | By 2040 |
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What You'll Learn
- Diesel trucks fuel the ferries at terminals
- The five largest boats use a Duwamish Waterway fuel dock
- Washington State Ferries is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government
- Ferries are switching from diesel to batteries to reduce emissions and costs
- The electrification program will cost an estimated $3.98 billion
Diesel trucks fuel the ferries at terminals
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the US state of Washington. It operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals across Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. The fleet uses diesel fuel to power its engines and is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government, burning approximately 19 million gallons of diesel fuel annually to support nearly 20 million passengers every year.
Diesel trucks play a critical role in ensuring the ferries have the fuel they need to operate. These trucks travel to the terminals to refuel the ferries. However, the five largest boats do not rely on diesel trucks for refuelling; instead, they go to a fuel dock in the Duwamish Waterway. For instance, the Chimacum, which requires 50,000 gallons of diesel every other week, gets its fuel from the largest Department of Defense fuel terminal in the continental United States.
WSF is transitioning from diesel to more environmentally friendly alternatives. It is electrifying its fleet, aiming to achieve an emission-free fleet by 2040 or 2050. This involves converting vessels to hybrid-electric power, building new hybrid-electric ferries, and adding shore charging to terminals. The electrification program is estimated to cost $3.98 billion, with funding coming from various sources, including the State of Washington, grants, and community funding.
The move towards electrification is expected to bring significant benefits. It will drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve system resiliency by providing a secondary power source, and lead to cost savings of millions of dollars annually in fuel costs.
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The five largest boats use a Duwamish Waterway fuel dock
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world and the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government. Prior to 2020, the ferry fleet burned through 19 million gallons of diesel fuel annually, supporting nearly 20 million passengers.
WSF is transitioning to a hybrid-electric fleet to reduce emissions, ensure resiliency, and cut down on operations and maintenance costs. The electrification program is estimated to cost $3.98 billion, with $1.68 billion currently funded.
As part of the transition, WSF is rebuilding and modernizing its fleet. The invitation to bid for new hybrid-electric 160-auto ferries was opened on May 12, 2025, and received bids from two shipyards.
While most ferries are fuelled by diesel trucks that travel to the terminals, the five largest boats use a fuel dock in the Duwamish Waterway. One of these large ferries, the Chimacum, needs 50,000 gallons of diesel every other week.
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$137.33
Washington State Ferries is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state government. The fleet uses diesel fuel to power its engines, burning approximately 19 million gallons of diesel fuel annually to support nearly 20 million passengers every year. This makes it the state's biggest diesel polluter.
WSF operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. The routes are designated as part of the state highway system. WSF maintains a fleet of 21 vessels that are able to carry passengers and vehicles. The ferry system carried a total of 18.66 million riders in 2023—9.69 million passengers and 8.97 million vehicles. The busiest route is the Seattle-Bainbridge Island ferry, which carried 4.8 million total riders in 2023.
Diesel trucks travel to terminals to fuel the ferries except for the five largest boats, which go to a fuel dock in the Duwamish Waterway. The Chimacum, for example, needs 50,000 gallons of diesel fuel every other week.
Recognizing the need to reduce emissions and costs, WSF is transitioning to a hybrid-electric fleet. The electrification program will start with the most polluting vessels, three Jumbo Mark II ferries, which consume 5 million gallons of fuel a year between them. By 2040, WSF intends to build 16 new hybrid-electric vessels and convert six others to have hybrid propulsion, reducing carbon emissions by 180,000 tons annually and saving $19 million per year in diesel fuel costs. This transition is part of a broader trend toward electrification in shipping, with similar moves being made by other major ferry operators around the world.
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Ferries are switching from diesel to batteries to reduce emissions and costs
Ferries in Washington State consume as much fuel as a mid-sized airline, burning approximately 19 million gallons of diesel fuel to ferry nearly 20 million passengers every year. The state's ferry system is the largest in the country. During a fuel emergency, such as the one simulated in the Cascadia Rising earthquake exercise, diesel trucks travel to terminals to fuel the ferries, except for the five largest boats, which go to a fuel dock in the Duwamish Waterway.
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is switching from diesel to batteries to reduce emissions and costs. This is in line with a growing trend toward electrification in shipping. The constantly declining cost of batteries has also prompted the state to take a serious look at electric shipping. The electrification program will start with the most polluting vessels, three Jumbo Mark II ferries, which consume 5 million gallons of fuel a year between them. Each vessel will have two of its four diesel generators and locomotive engines replaced with battery systems supplied by Siemens.
WSF aims to achieve an emission-free fleet by 2050. This means converting six existing vessels to hybrid-electric power, building 16 new hybrid-electric vessels, and adding shore charging to 16 terminals. The new hybrid vessels will have three modes of operation: diesel, battery only, or hybrid mode. The culmination of these efforts will be five new hybrid-electric vessels, expected to save a combined 240 million gallons of diesel over their 60-year lifespan. The electrification program is estimated to cost $3.98 billion, with $1.68 billion currently funded.
The switch to batteries is expected to cut costs and pollution caused by the current annual consumption of almost 20 million gallons of diesel across a fleet of 22 vessels ferrying 25 million people a year. Electric ferries are generally cheaper to operate due to lower energy consumption, reduced maintenance requirements, and potential government subsidies. They also offer environmental benefits, such as reduced emissions of harmful gases like NOx, CO, CO2, and soot, as well as reduced noise pollution.
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The electrification program will cost an estimated $3.98 billion
Washington State Ferries (WSF) is the largest ferry system in the US, serving tens of millions of passengers annually. It is also the biggest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions among Washington state agencies, burning approximately 19 million gallons of diesel fuel each year.
To address this, WSF aims to electrify its fleet, with the goal of achieving zero emissions by 2050. This involves converting existing vessels to hybrid-electric power and building new hybrid-electric ferries. The electrification program is estimated to cost $3.98 billion, with $1.68 billion currently funded from various sources, including grants, state, and federal funding.
WSF has received funding from the State of Washington Department of Ecology Volkswagen Enforcement Mitigation Action Grant ($35 million), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants ($12.5 million), the FTA Passenger Ferry Grant program for Clinton Terminal Electrification ($4.9 million), USDOT Community Directed funding for Seattle Terminal Electrification ($2.5 million), and the MARAD Marine Highway program for Jumbo Mark II Conversion ($1.5 million).
Additionally, WSF has secured $1.03 billion from Move Ahead Washington and $599 million from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which aims to reduce climate pollution, create jobs, and improve public health. The total expected expenditure over the next 17 years is $3.98 billion, with $3.7 billion allocated for electrifying or building new ferries and $280 million for terminal improvements.
WSF's electrification efforts are in line with its 2040 Long Range Plan and System Electrification Plan, which outline short-, medium-, and long-term actions to pursue a greener" ferry fleet, reduce environmental impact, and enhance service reliability.
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Frequently asked questions
Diesel trucks travel to terminals to fuel the ferries except for the five largest boats, which go to a fuel dock in the Duwamish Waterway.
Washington State Ferries (WSF) burns approximately 19 million gallons of diesel fuel annually to support nearly 20 million passengers every year. This makes it the state government's largest consumer of diesel fuel and biggest diesel polluter.
WSF will convert its system to hybrid-electric power by 2040. This will involve rebuilding the fleet, converting six existing vessels to hybrid-electric power, and building 16 new hybrid-electric vessels. This move towards electrification is expected to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel costs.
In addition to reducing emissions and fuel costs, hybrid-electric ferries provide additional system resiliency by having a second power source. This allows the vessel to continue service if there are any issues with the electricity and gives WSF more flexibility in managing utility costs.
