Washington State Ferries sells the decommissioned Ro-Pax ferry Elwha

Everett Ship Repair, a maintenance partner of Washington State Ferries (WSF), has purchased the government department's decommissioned Ro-Pax ferry Elwha for $100,000.

Everett Ship Repair plans to modify and convert the ferry to a floating office and warehouse space at its shipyard.

The 144-car Elwha was one of four Super-class ferries built in the mid-1960s. Elwha mainly served the Anacortes/Friday Harbor/Sidney, British Columbia route before being retired on April 8, 2020. Two Super-class ferries, Kaleetan and Yakima, are still in service.

WSF said it hopes to sell and transfer two remaining retired boats, Klahowya and Hyak, to free more dock space at its Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility for planned and unplanned maintenance on its current fleet.

WSF, a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation, is the largest ferry system in the US, and has an unfortunate history of selling dangerously old vessels to developing countries and washing its hands of the consequences.