MUKILTEO – Washington state’s newest ferry has launched a few days earlier than expected.

The ferry Suquamish carried passengers Thursday for the first time, running the route from Mukilteo to Clinton, on the south end of Whidbey Island.

The $122 million vessel can carry up to 144 vehicles and 1,500 passengers. It replaces a ferry that could carry 124 vehicles.

The ferry’s name means “people of the clear salt water” in the Suquamish Tribe’s traditional language, and the Washington State Ferries spokesman Ian Sterling says the tribe put a lot of thought into the vessel’s art and decoration.

Sterling says the ferry has one other thing going for it: “that new boat smell.”