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Captain of Cathlamet ferry resigns following crash at Fauntleroy terminal

The captain of the Cathlamet ferry has resigned after crashing into a dock structure at the Fauntleroy terminal on Thursday, Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling said on Monday.

The crash caused an estimated $5 to $7 million in damages to the ferry. At least two cars were also damaged.

One person was believed to be in one of the cars at the time of the crash, although no injuries were reported.

It is unclear what led to the crash. Ferry officials said drug and alcohol tests of the crew were clean.

After reviewing video from the incident, officials did say it was clear that the vessel was going too fast while being so close to the dock.

As for the Cathlamet, it was taken to the Washington State Ferries maintenance facility in Eagle Harbor where some of the repair work will take place. One car was still stuck on the ferry when it was carried away.

Sterling said a lot of the work will have to be done at an outside shipyard.

It is not yet known exactly how long the ferry will be out of commission, but Sterling said it will take months to fix.

WSF is working on an insurance claim to get repaired.

WSF, the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

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