SEATTLE — The captain of the Cathlamet ferry at the time the boat collided with a terminal structure on July 28 resigned, according to a spokesperson for Washington State Ferries (WSF).
The captain's identity has not been released, nor have further details about their resignation.
Drug and alcohol tests for the entire crew came back negative, according to the ferry spokesperson.
On the morning of July 28, the Cathlamet had a "hard landing" when it collided with an offshore dolphin, a structure that helps guide docking ferries, at the Fauntleroy terminal in West Seattle.
The ferry’s crew was able to safely offload all of the passengers and work began assessing the extensive damage.
The collision with the offshore dolphin, primarily made from a wood piling with steel and concrete, made a sizeable tear in the ferry’s front right side. In addition to the ferry itself, several vehicles on the ferry were also damaged, with one vehicle trapped in the wreckage.
The ferry was taken out of WSF's fleet and sent to its Eagle Harbor shipyard on Bainbridge Island for a likely months-long repair process.
"This was a significant event and the entire state Department of Transportation will put our weight behind the ferry system as we investigate this," Deputy Secretary of Transportation Amy Scarton said at the time. "Our safety record is impeccable in the history of state ferries. We have not had a fatality on board one of our vessels due to collision and so we will take this seriously."
The United State Coast Guard is the lead agency in the investigation. WSF is also working with the National Transportation Safety Board and other federal partners.