MV Solano enters service on Kingston-Seattle route

The M/V Solano docked at the Bremerton Marina. The vessel was put into service on the Kingston-Seattle route in April.

M/V Solano, the 10th vessel in Kitsap Transit’s fleet, started operations on the Kingston-Seattle route earlier this month, a little over three years since the agency bought it from San Francisco Bay Ferry.

The vessel, which KT purchased in 2021, has been undergoing a mid-life refit and re-branding at Nichols Brothers shipyard on Whidbey Island. Impacts on shipyards from the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as extensive bow modifications to the vessel and the time it took to hire staff and train them on the vessel – contributed to the delay.

“We’re happy to finally have the Solano in service, it’s an excellent vessel,” Kitsap Transit Marine Services Director Ray Scott said.

Solano will operate as the primary vessel on the Kingston-Seattle route, with M/V Finest as a backup. M/V Enetai and M/V Commander will serve the Southworth-Seattle route.

History and namesake

In 2004, the city of Vallejo put into service an $11 million, 320-passenger ferry on its route to San Francisco. The vessel was named for Solano County – where Vallejo is located – which in turn was named for Chief Solano, a leader of the Suisune Native American tribe in the area.

Solano in 2005.

Originally built in Washington at Dakota Creek Shipyards, the Solano helped connect commuters and recreation-seekers from Vallejo to downtown San Francisco. It operated as part of Vallejo’s “BayLink” until 2012, when the service was integrated into the unified regional SF Bay Ferry service, which includes ferry service in the East Bay communities of Oakland, Alameda and Richmond.

Solano was still in great condition when SF Bay Ferry sold it to Kitsap Transit in 2021. Due to changing state laws governing emissions, the vessel couldn’t be operated legally in California after 2019. The cost of retrofitting the vessel would have been higher than the cost to build a new one that met the standards, SF Bay Ferry spokesperson Thomas Hall said.

“At the time we sold it, Solano was the favorite boat of the Vallejo passengers and captains alike,” Hall said. “It was super reliable, comfortable, and the right size for the service.”

Since it was built with federal grant funds, SF Bay Ferry risked having to return money to the government if it sold Solano to a private operator. Kitsap Transit – which was in the process of building out its own passenger ferry program in 2021 – made a good partner for a sale. KT has committed to maintaining the vessel and the federal interest in it for the rest of the vessel’s useful life.

Upgrades and service

Solano in Elliott Bay on August 6, 2023.

After purchasing the vessel, Kitsap Transit sent it to Nichols Brothers for a mid-life refit, including a full rebuild of its engines and water jets. In addition to modifying the bow of the vessel to fit Washington State Ferries’ docks, the shipyard rearranged seating on the passenger deck and rebranded the vessel with Kitsap Transit livery.

Solano is in service now, and ready to take passengers from Kingston to Seattle daily. It will be the first full year of service for the vessel since 2019, when it carried 217,884 passengers on the Vallejo and Richmond routes.

“Everyone misses it; I hear from captains constantly, ‘Hey, is the Solano running yet? I really miss that boat,’” Hall said.