“Cathlamet hard landing at #Fauntleroy causing significant damage to the vessel and an offshore dolphin at the terminal. No injuries to report at this time. Fauntleroy service suspended until further notice while assessment is done,” WSF tweeted on Thursday.
In response to the news, one Twitter user wrote: “Does this mean the ferry ran into a dolphin? :(” However, others on Twitter were relieved moments later after the WSF clarified that the dolphin is a ferry structure not an actual animal.
“No no, a dolphin is a terminal structure located at the dock,” the WSF replied. The structures are used to guide ferries into the terminal.
In a separate tweet with an illustration of the terminal, the WSF said: “to clarify, when we say #Cathlamet hit a dolphin at #Fauntleroy terminal, we don’t mean it hit an animal. A dolphin is part of the terminal that helps guide a boat in.”
Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced in an alert that the Fauntleroy terminal is out of service until further notice and it shared pictures of the scene.
“The Issaquah will be the only boat on the route for now and will continue service between Southworth and Vashon. The boat will not operate on its regular schedule and just load vehicles before departing to its next destination to move as much traffic as possible,” the alert read.
Meanwhile, the WSF said that the Seattle Police Department has been working to turn away all traffic at the Fauntleroy terminal, and no one will be allowed to line up on Fauntleroy Way. The agency added that “significant” delays are expected on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route, recommending passengers take alternate routes if they still need to travel.
Newsweek reached out to the Washington State Ferries for comments.
Separately, boats have collided with actual marine life animals before. Last year, a whale landed on the deck of a boat off the coast of New South Wales in southeast Australia, injuring two people aboard and sending them to the hospital.
The whale landing on the boat caused facial cuts and a suspected concussion to a 39-year-old man, while an 18-year-old man suffered serious head and neck wounds.
In another instance, the tail of a pilot whale was severed when the animal was struck by the propeller of a boat. The incident was captured by photographer Francis Pérez off the Canary Islands. The whale was so critically injured that a wildlife veterinarian and a marine biologist decided to euthanize the animal.
