Bainbridge-Seattle ferry service reduced after hard landing

A ferryboat serving the Seattle-Bainbridge route was damaged and taken out of service after it ran into Seattle's Colman Dock Sunday morning in the fog.

There was one minor injury to an elderly passenger, said Susan Harris, spokeswoman for Washington State Ferries.

Harris said the ferry Wenatchee "hit the dock relatively hard" about 11 a.m. The boat had 163 vehicles on board at the time.

The impact damaged the vessel's bow and the slip's wing wall.

The ferry system and the U.S. Coast Guard are conducting simultaneous investigations, including standard drug testing of the captain and the vessel crew, Harris said. She said it was a foggy morning but didn't know whether that contributed to the accident.

The Wenatchee can carry 202 cars and 2,500 people.

Transportation officials said capacity on the Seattle-Bainbridge route will be restored today with the use of the ferry Puyallup.

One rider, Jake Ludington, wrote on his blog that he was on board the Wenatchee when "I suddenly saw Ivar's zipping past at a speed considerably faster than what I'd normally expect for the morning commute.

"The ferry gave 5 short blasts on the horn to indicate imminent collision, followed by a loud bang and a jolt to the ferry," Ludington wrote.

The Wenatchee was taken to Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle.

Updates on the Seattle-Bainbridge run can be found at the Washington State Ferries Web site, www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.