The Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry route will remain with one-boat service “ for the foreseeable future,” according to Washington State Ferries.

WSF had announced in April that a second ferry wouldn’t be added to the route for the peak tourist season, and said it was extending the winter sailing schedule for all ferry routes through June 20.

In an email Tuesday, WSF Government Relations Director John B. Vezina said the route would remain with just one boat.

Vezina noted the loss of the ferry M/V Wenatchee after a fire earlier his year aboard the boat, which took one of the ferry system’s three largest vessels out of service for several months.

That caused ripple effects across the system, Vezina said in his email Tuesday, but he added that the biggest problem now was the number of crew members available for sailings.

“Over the last couple of days, we have had to cancel sailings on several routes due to the lack of available crewing, leading us to the frustrating conclusion we do not have the capacity to add a second vessel to the Port Townsend-Coupeville route for the foreseeable future,” Vezina wrote.

“While we won’t experience this continued service reduction in the same way you and your constituents will,” he said in his email to local officials, “we understand its serious repercussions on businesses, vacationers, and local residents.”

“We have looked at every option, but as we aren’t able to consistently provide even our current service, it would be irresponsible to try to expand it further, knowing we couldn’t reliably crew the second vessel, leading to even more frustration,” Vezina added.

In one bright spot for Port Townsend’s tourist-dependent economy, Vezina said WSF is looking at restoring the last round-trip sailings on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route.

The feasibility of restoring those sailings are currently being studied, he said.

“I will keep you informed of our progress and let you know if there are any changes in circumstances allowing the last round-trips to be restored,” he said.

Vezina said he realized the announcement of the lack of a second boat on the route would not be welcome news.

“I understand this isn’t the news you, or the residents of your respective communities were looking for — it’s certainly not what we’d planned when we pushed the resumption of two-boat service to this weekend,” he said.

WSF publicly announced the fate of the second ferry on the Port Townsend route Wednesday morning.

“We looked at every option, but as we’re unable to consistently provide even our current service due to a shortage of crews, adding service would mean additional cancellations. We're hiring as qualified candidates are located and working with our labor partners on these challenges,” WSF said in its announcement.

“Thank you for your patience while we navigate this challenging time.”