Ferry carrying over 600 people runs aground near Seattle

A passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people ran aground near Bainbridge Island west of Seattle on Saturday but there were no immediate reports of injuries or contamination, authorities reported.

Washington State Ferries, a division of the state Department of Transportation, said via Twitter that the vessel “Walla Walla” ran aground in Rich Passage at around 4:30 p.m. as it was traveling from the city of Bremerton to Seattle.

Officials were investigating, but “initial indications are the vessel suffered a generator failure,” Washington State Ferries said.

Ferries spokesperson Diane Rhodes said there were 596 passengers and 15 crew members aboard the vessel, and a tug boat and the Coast Guard were on the scene.

“Low tide is about 8:09 p.m.,” Rhodes said. “We are coordinating with local transit to have buses standing by.”

The state Department of Ecology posted a photo online showing the vessel near the shore. As people looked at it and snapped pictures, a tug was positioned at one of the end of the boat with an apparent Coast Guard boat nearby.

“No pollution or hull damage detected at this time,” the department said. “Ecology responders on the way to the scene.”

The Pacific Northwest Coast Guard tweeted that it dispatched crews on cutters and a helicopter.

The Department of Transportation said on its website that the Seattle-Bremerton route was out of service “due to an issue with” the Walla Walla.

The website lists the vessel as a four-engine, jumbo class ferry with a maximum capacity of 2,000 passengers and 188 vehicles. It is 440 feet in length with a draft of 18 feet.

The Walla Walla was constructed in 1973 in Seattle and rebuilt in 2003, according to the site.