The Hiyu was slightly bigger and faster than her predecessor, but most importantly, she had a higher clearance in her two center lanes, allowing trucks to reach Vashon Island without having to drive to Fauntleroy.

By the late 1990s, the Hiyu's small size became an issue once again on the San Juan inter-island route, and she was replaced by a larger vessel, the MV Nisqually.

Occasionally, she was contracted out for service on the Steilacoom-Anderson Island ferry route when the MV Christine Anderson needed emergency repairs.

[3] In June 2007, Washington State Ferries put the Hiyu back in service once again between Point Defiance and Tahlequah when the MV Rhododendron encountered rudder problems.

In the governor's proposed budget for 2009, the Hiyu was slated to be permanently assigned to the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route to allow for the Rhododendron's retirement.

The head of WSF, David Moseley, said that the expense was minimal, amounting to less than one percent of the total cost of labor for engineers.

[6] After a year without service, the Hiyu was put back to work in January 2014 on the San Juan Interisland route to cover for the Evergreen State, which had broken down.