Both cranes on Cordova's Drive Down Dock are out of service at the height of Copper River salmon season

Both cranes on Cordova's Drive Down Dock are out of service at the height of the Copper River salmon season, leaving vessel operators without the equipment they rely on for offloading. The city locked out both units after mechanical failures: the 10,000-pound crane has a broken pump, and the 2,500-pound crane has leaking seals. Cordova ordered a replacement pump June 8 and is working with Aurora Crane to schedule a technician.

The timing is especially difficult. Cordova consistently ranks among the most valuable commercial fishing ports in Alaska, driven largely by the Copper River sockeye and Chinook salmon fishery, whose early-season runs command premium prices in markets across the country. June is peak season — and vessel operators relying on the Drive Down Dock face an offloading bottleneck precisely when the fishery's value is highest.

The crane failures are part of a recurring frustration. Harbor Commissioner Michael Craig called the Aurora Crane update "terribly disappointing to have such a beautiful piece of equipment give us nothing but grief."

Cordova has no road access to the rest of Alaska — harbor infrastructure does the work that highways do elsewhere. When the cranes go down, there's no alternate route. The city's South Harbor Rebuild Project is intended to address overdue repairs at the facility.