WSF internal investigation claims captain was at fault for 2022 ferry crash

An internal investigation conducted by Washington State Ferries (WSF) is blaming the captain for causing a ferry to crash at a dock last year.

On July 28 around 8 a.m., WSF said the Cathlamet Ferry went "off course" and was going "too fast" before crashing into the Fauntleroy ferry dock's "dolphin." A dolphin is a terminal structure located at the dock and it helps guide a vessel in. 

On Aug. 1, drug and alcohol tests came back negative for the entire ferry crew, suggesting intoxication was not a factor in the crash. Another report found that all machinery, control and navigation systems were functioning

After an internal investigation, WSF concluded that it was the captain's "loss of situational awareness" caused the hard-landing crash.

WSF said it can't draw a definitive conclusion as to why the captain lost his situational awareness because the agency said the captain refused to answer questions after the crash, at the advice of his attorney.

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No one was injured when the ferry crashed. 

The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are continuing their separate investigation. It's unknown when those findings will be released.