The MV ''Chelan'' is an operated by

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget ...

, 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 which sets out minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The International Maritime Organiza ...

(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 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 Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

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 province of British Columbia. It is one of the thirteen Greater Victoria municipalities. It has a population of approximately 11,583. Sidney ...

. 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 will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who will ...

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