Overloaded Ferry Full Of Seahawk Fans Forced To Turn Back, 484 Passengers Too Many

There may be some upset Seahawks fans today due to an overloaded ferry. Seahawk fans hoping to make it to tonight’s preseason game may have been forced to miss kickoff after a ferry leaving Bremerton had to turn back after it realized it was 484 passengers over capacity.

According to NWCN, the 4:20 pm sailing from Bremerton to Seattle hadn’t gone very far when it went back and passengers were asked to get off. The incident happened after workers became confused over capacity limits on their smaller ferry which should only hold 1,200 people. The workers thought they were within limits when they boarded over 1,600 people. The captain noticed the capacity issue and was forced to turn around. One ferry rider, Spenser Anderson, said:

“The captain let us know that 400 people overloaded onto the boat. People started to complain a little bit and talk about it. Half an hour later, 200 people had volunteered to get off and then at that point some of the Washington State Ferry members and the police were on and they really started to ask people to get off.”

The Seattle Times reports that ferry passengers were delayed for approximately one hour. However, with Seahawk fans trying to make the preseason game, I am certain the removal of passengers was not the easiest. The ferry was noticeably full, said Alisha Harrison, of Bremerton, who, like many of her fellow passengers, was headed to the Seahawks game.

“It was more crowded and smelly and ‘thick’ than I’ve ever seen.”

Once at the dock, Harrison pointed out that the Seahawk fans band together hoping to remove some Chargers fans instead.

“People started making jokes. We all thought anyone wearing Chargers gear should have to swim.”

Though the ferry turned back almost immediately, the allowance of so many passengers on the ferry is a serious concern to transportation safety personnel. The incident was such a concern that Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson made a public statement regarding the matter.

“Due to the safety concerns related to the overloading of the Cathlamet, a thorough review of this incident will take place and everyone in the chain of command at Washington State Ferries responsible for this oversight will be held accountable accordingly.”

The incident could have ended much worse for the Seahawk fans had the captain not realized the capacity mistake. Over 100 are still missing in Bangladesh after a ferry capsized that was operating at twice its capacity.