The MV ''Chelan'' is an operated by

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals loca ...

, completed and in service in 1981. In 2004, the vessel was refit with a second vehicle deck, and in 2005 was refit with safety equipment to meet the requirements of the

International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is an international maritime treaty that sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The International Maritime Organization ...

(SOLAS), allowing the ''Chelan'' to make international trips on the Anacortes–San Juan Islands–Sidney, British Columbia route. the ''Chelan'' is the only vessel in the Washington State Ferries fleet that meets SOLAS standards.

History

The ''Chelan'' was built in 1981, as an ''Issaquah''-class ferry, for service on the

Edmonds–Kingston ferry The Edmonds–Kingston ferry is a ferry route across Puget Sound between Edmonds and Kingston, Washington. Since 1951 the only ferries employed on the route have belonged to the Washington state ferry system, currently the largest ferry system i ...

route. In the early 1990s, ridership on the Edmonds–Kingston route had grown to the extent that the ''Chelan'' could not handle capacity, and she was replaced on this route by a second . The ''Chelan'' was kept in reserve to serve as a replacement ferry. On many of the routes she would serve, she would replace an ''Issaquah''-class ferry that had been refit with a second vehicle deck, and the ''Chelan'' would cause service disruptions by carrying fewer vehicles. In 2004, she was refit, much like her sister ships to include a second vehicle deck along the outer bulkheads. After changes in

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

rules for international travel, the ''Chelan'' was upgraded in 2005 safety equipment to meet the requirements of the

(SOLAS). She is currently the only vessel in the WSF fleet to meet these standards, making it the only ship that can make the international crossing to

Sidney, British Columbia Sidney is a town located at the northern end of the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It's 1 of the 13 Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,583. Sidney is l ...

. The safety equipment requirements of SOLAS limit the ''Chelan'' to 1,090 passengers when making international trips, as opposed to the 1,200 she can carry on domestic crossings. During the SOLAS refit, the interior of the ''Chelan'' was also updated to match the other ''Issaquah''-class ferries, with one notable addition, the ''Chelan'' also has a small

duty-free shop A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who ...

onboard. Because of her SOLAS capability, the ''Chelan'' serves the Anacortes–San Juan Islands–Sidney, BC route during spring, summer and fall, and typically stays on the domestic service between Anacortes and the San Juan Islands during the winter.

References

Washington State Ferries vessels 1981 ships {{ferry-stub