Name Skagit Cost $5 million | Owner WSDOT | |
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Builder Halter Marine, New Orleans, Louisiana | ||
MV Skagit was a Skagit/Kalama Class passenger ferry originally operated by Washington State Ferries (WSF) from 1989–2009 and then in Tanzania until her disastrous sinking in Zanzibar in July 2012.
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Operational history
The Skagit and the MV Kalama were the only two ships of their class in the WSF fleet. Together they served on the Seattle-Vashon Island route (see King County Water Taxi). In 2006 WSF was directed to end its passenger-only service, and in 2011 the Skagit and Kalama were sold and transported to Tanzania to provide service between the mainland and Zanzibar.
Sinking
On July 18, 2012, the vessel sank near Chumbe Island while in ferry service in Tanzania. After departing Dar es Salaam bound for Unguja Island (Zanzibar) with more than 250 people on board, the ship struggled in rough seas and sank approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) from Unguja. At least 146 were rescued while as many as 150 were still missing after a day of rescue operations. Early reports attributed the disaster to high winds and overloading of passengers. The ship was certified for a maximum capacity of 250 yet officials said it had 290 aboard at the time.
Outcome
The Zanzibar government blamed the disaster on the ship operating over too long of a distance, and the island's transportation minister resigned. In addition, vessels had been warned not to make the crossing because of the high seas, according to Tanzania's chief meteorologist. After Skagit's loss, Zanzibar barred sister ship MV Kalama from operating and later "deleted" her and three other ferries from its list of sea vessels for safety reasons.
