A new report from Washington State Ferries revealed the Walla Walla ferry ran aground in April due to contaminated fuel, caused by bacterial and fungal growth that overwhelmed the vessel’s fuel filtration system. The ferry was intentionally grounded near Bainbridge Island on April 15 after the vessel lost propelling force and steering controls when contaminated fuel caused generators to fail. “This water contamination resulted in gross bacterial and fungal growth to the extent that the fuel filtration system was overcome, and the ship's service diesel and vital generator engines could not function,” according to the report. Filters of two of the vessel’s service diesel generators were contaminated with “black sludge,” according to the report. Engineers sampled 13 sites and five were microscopically examined, showing bacterial fungal growth. Read the full story: https://www.king5.com/article/traffic/black-sludge-fuel-tanks-ferry-running-aground-bainbridge-island-bacteria-fungal/281-5b44db93-8fb7-4c55-b35c-07bff83abe9a