Questions Float From Crash -- Human Error Is Presumed Cause Of State's First Collision Of Ferries

Human error was the likely cause of yesterday's foggy morning collision between two ferries on the Seattle-Bremerton run, state ferry officials said yesterday.

But so far, they say, they have more questions than answers.

The ferries Sealth and Kitsap, together carrying 281 people and 156 vehicles, collided about 8:30 a.m. yesterday in Rich Passage just north of Bremerton.

It was the first ferry-to-ferry accident of its kind in Washington history.

While the collision itself was minor, ferry officials are clearly concerned about long-term damage to their reputation. The accident also is renewing an old debate about whether state ferries ought to upgrade safety procedures and life-saving equipment for passengers.

Yesterday morning's accident occurred in near-zero-visibility fog near the west and narrowest end of Rich Passage - a curving waterway that funnels to a quarter mile in width.

One woman who complained of back pain was treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and released.

The Sealth, which broadsided the Kitsap, suffered a "crease" over a four-foot area of the bow. The Kitsap incurred a horizontal gash, Coast Guard officials said. Damage to the Sealth was estimated at between $15,000 and $20,000. The Kitsap was expected to get repairs by late today totaling $25,000 to $30,000.

Today, the ferry Quinault was to be moved from the Vashon Island run to the Seattle-Bremerton route. Ferry officials hoped to have the Sealth operating again as a second boat between Seattle and Bremerton as well, but last night that was uncertain. Repairs to the Kitsap are expected to take longer than those for the Sealth.

Breath tests given to the bridge and watch crews of both ferries indicated no alcohol in their blood. And there was no evidence of a malfunction in equipment, said Armand Tiberio, the acting superintendent of operations for Washington State Ferries, which is under the state Department of Transportation.

"We don't know right now what happened," Tiberio said at a news conference. "The only possibility that hasn't been ruled out is human error."

State ferry officials will begin an investigation Monday morning by reviewing written statements from both captains and by interviewing crew members.

Coast Guard officials yesterday questioned the two captains - Mike Boyle on the Kitsap and Ron Hunter on the Sealth - as part of their preliminary investigation.

Among other things, investigators in both agencies say they will look at speed, weather, timing, the condition of equipment and ship-to-ship radio communication.

What troubles ferry officials is that the captains are giving conflicting versions of what happened.

Both, Tiberio said, have told Coast Guard investigators that they had shut off their engines and come to a dead stop when the collision occurred. Obviously, he said, if that were true there would not have been a collision.

When asked whether either captain might be lying, Tiberio hesitated for several seconds: "I'm not in a position one way or another who's telling the truth."

But Tiberio said he believes one or both of the captains made a mistake.

"We're going to be damn sure this doesn't happen again," he said. "This is kind of like getting a bruise, but it's a very painful bruise."

Until yesterday's mishap, ferry system accidents principally involved vessels running aground or damaging slips.

Neither captain has had previous safety-related incidents on his record, ferry officials said.

Hunter, an employee of the ferry system since 1947, received the rating of vessel master from the Coast Guard in 1968. Boyle began working for the ferry system in 1975 and earned his master's rating three years later.

Following standard procedure, both captains have been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the conclusion of the state's investigation.

If there is evidence of wrongdoing or negligence, they could face disciplinary action, said Jerry Mecham, the ferry system's port captain.

What is known is this:

The Sealth was en route from Bremerton to Seattle and the Kitsap was headed to Bremerton. Both were running 15 minutes behind schedule.

Rich Passage was shrouded in fog, the current was ebbing and the tide was low.

Before departing, both ferries checked in with the Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Service (VTS), which monitors Puget Sound traffic lanes by radar - but not Rich Passage itself.

Because of the heavy fog, the VTS also alerted each captain that the other ferry was heading its way.

"We overheard them get in contact with each other. They knew they were both there (in Rich Passage) and were proceeding to make passing arrangements," said Cmdr. Chip Sharpe, executive officer of the VTS.

"They pass on Rich Passage many times every day, so there was nothing unusual."

According to VTS records, the initial radio contact was at about 8:35 a.m., about the same time as the collision.

Two key questions, Tiberio said, are when the crews began communicating with each other and whether the ferries realized just how close they were to each other.

Both radar systems were functioning and there was one lookout on the bow of each vessel, said Cmdr. Terry Rice, executive officer for the Coast Guard's marine-safety office in Seattle.

Passengers said both vessels were blowing their horns every minute - well within regulations, Tiberio said.

Assuming both ferries took actions to stop, that would normally take 60 seconds, officials say.

Sharpe, of the VTS, said the ebbing current in the narrow passage could have given the westbound Sealth a little extra speed, while the eastbound Kitsap would have been fighting some current. The tide was almost at its lowest point, he said, meaning both ferries would have had less room to maneuver.

Under Coast Guard guidelines, the vessels should have been going more slowly, marine officials say.

But the ferry system has no specific guidelines for a safe speed. "That's the discretion of the captain," Tiberio said.

That rule, however, may change, along with other ferry operating procedures, he said.