[Oldexpat]

These big ferries are relatively soft targets. No ID and no search of vehicles. On Washington State Ferries the passengers stay with the cars.
Sniffer dogs can screen, but not for gas and diesel.

[r9etb]

On Washington State Ferries the passengers stay with the cars.

Did you forget a "don't" in that sentence?

Although folks can stay with their cars, most often they don't -- preferring instead to wander about or sit on the upper decks. Hence, the picture of the two alleged suspcious males, standing outdoors on the deck.

[Steve_Seattle]

"On Washington State Ferries the passengers stay with the cars."

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Most passengers get out of their cars and go up to the seating areas.

Torching a ferry wouldbe easy and would make a good photo op for terrorists. Just take a van on board loaded with gasoline and maybe some explosives, splash around a few gallons of gasoline, and set it off. You'd have a blazing inferno on the vehicle deck within minutes.