Washington Breaks Ground on First New Ferry in a Decade
Washington State Ferries marked a milestone this month with the start of construction on the state’s first new ferry vessel in more than ten years. Gov. Bob Ferguson joined Eastern Shipbuilding Group representatives in Panama City, Florida, for a ceremonial steel-cutting event, and used the occasion to announce that the state has exercised an option to build a third hybrid-electric vessel, on top of the two already ordered.
The announcement caps years of frustration over an aging ferry fleet — Washington lost four vessels to retirement over the past decade without a replacement entering service. The new hybrid-electric ships represent both a fleet-modernization push and a shift toward electrification for the state’s marine transportation network.
While the shipbuilding itself is happening out of state, the fleet renewal has real implications for Washington’s coastal and Puget Sound communities that depend on ferry service for both transportation and economic activity — and it’s a data point in the broader public-investment story we’ve been tracking around Washington infrastructure spending.
Source: Office of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, “Governor Ferguson celebrates the start of construction on first new ferry in more than a decade,” Aug. 5, 2026 — https://governor.wa.gov/news/2026/governor-ferguson-celebrates-start-construction-first-new-ferry-more-decade-exercises-option-build
