Ferry, container ship nearly collide

Passengers on the ferry Wenatchee were shaken Tuesday night during a "near miss" between the vessel and a 1,000-foot container ship, the Knud Mærsk, the Coast Guard reported.

The Wenatchee was leaving Seattle and headed for Bainbridge Island at 5:55 p.m. when the ferry and the Knud Mærsk, heading north from Tacoma to Port Angeles, crossed paths.

The vessels came within 1,600 feet of one another, said Tom Dike, Coast Guard watch supervisor for the vessel-traffic service.

Dike said the incident is considered a "near miss" because both vessels had to maneuver severely to avoid collision.

Before that, the ferry pilot agreed to slow down and let the container ship pass but for some reason didn't, Dike said.

The pilot of the Knud Mærsk saw the oncoming 460-foot Wenatchee and veered left, away from the ferry, Dike said. The ferry then reversed its engines from full ahead to full reverse to avoid the collision, he said.

The ferry's sudden speed change likely created a lot of vibration for passengers aboard the boat, but nobody appeared to have been injured, Dike said.

State ferries spokeswoman Susan Harris-Huether had no additional information.

"There seemed to be some communication confusion, which we'll get a better idea of tomorrow [Wednesday]," she said.

Washington State Ferries and the Coast Guard are investigating the incident, Dike said.