Juneau's fifth cruise dock clears a federal hurdle

Áak'w Landing, the Alaska Native-led project to build Juneau a fifth downtown cruise ship dock, cleared another step this month: a federal permit for the underwater noise its construction will make.

The National Marine Fisheries Service authorized Turnagain Marine Construction on July 20 to disturb marine mammals while crews pull the old Standard Oil Pier and drive new pilings in Gastineau Channel — removing 281 wood piles and installing 268 steel ones. The work is loud enough underwater to harass Steller sea lions, and the permit sets a ceiling on how many it can affect. The agency approved 527 sea lion disturbances, roughly half the 1,023 Turnagain first requested, after catching a calculation error in the original estimate. It found the effect on the population negligible and drew no public comment.

The dock itself is the contested part. Juneau has spent years arguing over how much cruise traffic it can absorb, and Áak'w Landing — a $150 million development from Huna Totem Corporation on waterfront that Norwegian Cruise Line donated in 2022 — would be its fifth dock, meant to end the practice of anchoring overflow ships offshore and ferrying passengers in by tender. The Assembly approved the tidelands lease in 2025 on an 8-1 vote after six years of debate, with a cap of one ship a day at the new berth.

Alongside the dock, Huna Totem plans restaurants, retail, an extension of the Seawalk, and two new totem poles. The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska endorsed the project in 2025. Construction is slated to begin in 2027, with the dock opening for the 2028 season.