Glass windows could be to blame for bad cell service on the Chimacum

BREMERTON, Wash.  — The state's newest ferry may be called Chimacum but some riders have nicknamed it the "Faraday cage."

The moniker references Michael Faraday, a scientist who created enclosures that block electromagnetic fields. Some passengers say the vessel excels at blocking out one such field: cell phone service.

The Kitsap Sun reports that cell coverage is challenging through the waterway the Seattle-Bremerton ferry traverses between Bainbridge and South Kitsap. But since its debut in May, commuters say the Chimacum has established a new low for cell coverage.

The ferry system confirmed it used "low emissivity" glass on the Chimacum's windows to lower costs.

Solving one problem may have created another.