KINGSTON — North Kitsap residents who ride the Kingston/Edmonds ferries will soon notice a change in the number of boats servicing the run. Washington State Ferries announced last week that the M/V Spokane, which can accommodate 188 vehicles, will be moved to the Bremerton/Seattle run to replace the M/V Hyak, and two smaller ferries will move to the North End run.

The M/V Hyak requires emergency repairs, in which the commutators on the drive motors will be replaced.

“We have done this before on the Kingston run with success,” said WSF customer information manager Susan Harris-Huether. “The first two boats will stay on the normal schedule, and the third boat will follow the second boat, not on a schedule, to pick up extra traffic.”

The addition will last from Feb. 25 to March 20, and residents can count on a normal ferry schedule through that time, Harris-Huether said. The M/V Chelan, which can accommodate 124 vehicles, and the M/V Evergreen State (87 vehicles) will replace the M/V Spokane from Feb. 25 to March 4. The M/V/ Evergreen State (87 vehicles) and the M/V Quinault (59 vehicles), will be on the run the remainder of the time.

“This might be confusing in the summer, but not in the dead of winter like we’re planning,” she said.