

Why does the new state ferry list?


Should they call it the Chetzemoka or the “I-Lean”?

The state’s much-celebrated new ferry, the MV Chetzemoka, lists to one side due to the way the vessel was designed, according to the state ferry system.

Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Marta Coursey told the list is due to the location of a single stairway tower on one side. “When the ferry is fully loaded, there is no list,” she said.

The Chetzemoka was designed to maximize the number of trucks and oversize vehicles it can carry, she said.

The Whidbey News-Times, which had a thorough report on the new $79 million boat, reports the list is noticeable enough that crew members have nicknamed it the “I-Lean.”

The ferry service says the vessel is safe and has passed a “stability test” with the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to the Whidbey News-Times story, the stairwell was designed as a safe house for the “ship’s complement of 750 passengers in the event of a major fire.”

Coursey said the weight of the stair tower is offset by the fuel tanks, which are predominantly on the other side of the vessel. “As this offsetting weight is variable depending on fuel load, the list condition will also vary with the load of the fuel.”

The 64-car Chetzemoka is based on the Island Home, a ferry operating in Massachusetts between Woods Hole and Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Coursey said the Island Home also lists.

“Crews at Nantucket Steamship Authority are accustomed to the configuration and load the vessel accordingly. It is not an operational problem for them,” Coursey said

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