Gasoline cans become legal on state ferries

Trying to carry a gas can onto a Washington state ferry no longer means it will be confiscated.

Effective today, the cans can be brought aboard the ferries after the ferry system received an exemption from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

For years gas cans, empty or full, have been prohibited and have been confiscated at ferry terminals. Last year about 1,500 cans were taken from passengers trying to board ferries.

"Our procedures were inconsistent," said Kelly Mitchell, a port captain with the ferry system who has been working on the exemption for the past three years. "Folks couldn't carry gas cans in vehicles, but they could be carried in boats trailered behind their vehicles."

Mitchell said the cost of disposing of the cans and their contents, as well as paying crew members to remove the cans from customers' vehicles, far outweighs the fire dangers that carrying the cans might cause, particularly since each vehicle already has its own gas tank.

The ferry system estimated the exemption will save it $150,000 in extra costs each year.

"You have an open car deck and there's no smoking, so it didn't seem right," said Mitchell. "Our customers deserve the opportunity to (carry gas cans) rather than hide them."

Having the gas containers visible will lessen the chance that passengers will try to keep them hidden, say ferry officials. "These flammable materials, which were very likely carried before but hidden from sight, will now more likely be visible and known to the crew of the ferries," said John Veentjer, with the local marine safety office of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The exemption will allow 12 gallons of gasoline in certified gas cans, and no container can be larger than six gallons. They must be tightly closed and stowed securely in a vehicle. The new exemption also changes the amount of propane that can be carried by each vehicle. Before a motorist could haul up to 200 pounds in each vehicle; now the limit is 100 pounds.

If a vehicle is transporting both gas and propane, the total combined amount cannot exceed 12 gallons. And crew members must make a visual inspection of the cans or propane cylinders before a car will be allowed to board a ferry.

Passengers are required to notify the ticket seller if their cars are carrying gas or propane.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com