Washington State Ferries suffered severe regional service cancellations on Monday, October 5, 2026, after 23 licensed engine room crew members unexpectedly called in sick ahead of morning watch shifts.
In the San Juan Islands, inter-island connections halted, leaving island residents isolated without vehicle freight or emergency mainland transport.
Kitsap Transit deployed additional capacity on its foot-ferry passenger catamarans to Seattle, but passenger lines snaked past the Norm Dicks Government Center.
Unlike municipal bus lines or light rail networks that can legally operate with reduced schedules or altered staffing, commercial passenger ferries operate under binding Certificates of Inspection issued by the United States Coast Guard.
With water routes disabled, tens of thousands of vehicles diverted onto State Route 16, attempting to bypass Puget Sound via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
A sudden wave of 23 engine room sick-calls tied up 13 of 18 Washington State Ferries vessels on Monday, reducing the Bremerton route to single-boat service and suspending Bainbridge travel.