Marine Highway

Ferry Columbia sidelined in Ketchikan for engine repairs, due back Nov. 8

The ferry Columbia is laid up in Ketchikan, due back Sunday, while a Wärtsilä technician and crew replace a piston and cylinder liner in its port main engine.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Equipment arrives at Cascade Point ferry site before construction is authorized

The state has started hauling equipment to its Cascade Point ferry terminal site north of Juneau. It still hasn't cleared anyone to start digging.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

NOAA closes out its $5.2 million Rainier overhaul at Ketchikan Shipyard

NOAA closed out a $5 million repair order for the survey ship Rainier at Ketchikan Shipyard, clawing back $392,172 in unused funds.

by Melinda Communities.News2w ago1 min read

Alaska students can propose a glacier name for the Tustumena's replacement ferry

Alaska students can pitch a name for the Tustumena's replacement ferry, as long as it's a glacier, and the Legislature gets the final say. Essays due Nov. 23.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Federal regulators give Seward cruise dock contractor another year to finish pile driving

Feds gave Seward's cruise dock contractor another year to finish its last 12 days of pile driving. The lone commenter wanted sound checks. The budget said no.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Federal agency takes comment on foreign-built 12-passenger boat's bid for coastwise trade

Federal Maritime Administration is taking public comment on whether a foreign-built 12-passenger boat can carry paying customers between U.S. ports, affecting Alaska tour operators.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Prince William Sound faces a winter without ferry service as the Aurora is overhauled

Prince William Sound faces a winter with little or no ferry service while the 1977-built Aurora is overhauled. New docks are the fix, and they're years away.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Federal grant of $310,307 funds condition survey of Alaska's ferry fleet

Alaska is paying $310,000 to survey a ferry fleet whose flagship turns 62 this year. The bid to replace it came in $49 million over budget.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Alaska will spend up to $250,000 studying a ferry terminal in Hyder

Alaska wants to study a ferry terminal for a town of 41 people. The reason is Canada: Hyder's road runs south through B.C., and Prince Rupert may not last.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Ferry programs drew $27.73 million of Alaska's federal awards last week

Alaska took $69.2 million in federal awards last week, most of it for ferries, which already lean on Washington for nearly half their operating budget.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Cordova's winter ferry hope hinges on a Whittier dock question

Cordova Mayor Kristin Smith plans to meet with Alaska's transportation commissioner Tuesday to discuss winter ferry service and road safety issues.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Unalaska wants the state to look at a ferry from Cold Bay during pollock season

Unalaska wants the state to look at running a ferry from Cold Bay during pollock season. The ferry system is short on boats and the dock has pile damage.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Sep 8

Skagway Ferry Terminal Set to Reopen After 26-Day Closure

Skagway's ferry terminal reopens today after a 26-day closure caused by cracked concrete and deteriorated anchor chains, forcing vehicle traffic through Canada during peak season.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

Follows: Skagway's ferry terminal is closed indefinitely for work the state planned as a one-week job

Cordova would get one ferry sailing a month this winter, and none in January

Cordova would get one ferry round trip a month this winter instead of none. January still has no service, and February hangs on how fast a shipyard works.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Follows: Cordova faces a thin ferry winter with four vessels in overhaul

The Inter-Island Ferry Authority's first boat is getting a refit

The Inter-Island Ferry Authority's original boat, the MV Prince of Wales, is getting a $658,041 refit. It has been the backup since the Stikine took over.

by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read

State begins emergency repairs at Skagway ferry terminal with no reopening date

Skagway still has no state ferry service and no reopening date as crews race emergency repairs on its cracked ferry terminal, with chain work set this weekend.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Alaska ferry system awarded more than $410 million in federal funding

Alaska's ferry system is getting more than $410 million in federal money, both to keep the boats running and to build a new vessel and upgrade terminals.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Three years and three permits later, Ketchikan's airport ferry still has no backup berths

Ketchikan's airport ferry docks at one set of berths with no backup. Three years and three federal permits later, the state hasn't driven a pile.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Skagway's ferry terminal is closed indefinitely for work the state planned as a one-week job

Skagway's ferry terminal is closed indefinitely for emergency anchor-chain repairs. A February notice had planned the same work as a one-week closure.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Skagway ferry port closed indefinitely; state gives no repair timeline

Skagway's ferry dock is broken and the port is closed indefinitely. The state's entire public explanation fits in one undated website alert.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Hoonah and Ketchikan dock projects renew marine mammal permits without breaking ground

Two Southeast dock projects keep renewing federal permits to make noise underwater. The permits keep expiring. The water remains undisturbed.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Cordova faces a thin ferry winter with four vessels in overhaul

Cordova, with no road out, faces a thin ferry winter as four Alaska Marine Highway vessels go into overhaul, one of them out for most of the season.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Sitka's Coast Guard cutter dock clears review; work set for 2026

Sitka's Coast Guard cutter dock cleared its environmental review, with waterfront construction set to run from 2026 to 2028.

by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read

Sitka Harbor Office closes at noon Friday, reopens Monday

Sitka Harbor Office closes at noon Friday and reopens Monday, leaving boat owners and fishers without walk-in service or phone access until then. Call 907-738-0835 for emergencies.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Winter ferry bookings open on the system that's the only road many Alaska towns have

Winter ferry bookings are open on the Alaska Marine Highway — the federally funded "road" for the four-in-five Alaska towns with no highway — even as some communities say this winter's schedule is still too thin.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Four ferries in the shop make for a lean Alaska winter

Four Alaska ferries will be down for repairs this winter — one for five months after crews found corroded steel — thinning service for roadless towns that depend on it.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board schedules July 24 public meeting

Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board meets July 24, 2026. Full agenda and public comment details will post in the state notice system.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Nearly $350 million to replace one ferry — Alaska's lifeline to the Aleutians

Alaska's about to spend nearly $350 million to replace one ferry — the 60-year-old Tustumena. A genuine Aleutian lifeline, but the low bid went to a Louisiana yard.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Alaska's Mental Health Trust will log old-growth near Hollis to fund care

Alaska's Mental Health Trust is logging old-growth near Hollis to fund care for vulnerable Alaskans. Good cause, complicated trees.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read

Mental Health Trust to log 1,438 acres near Hollis on Prince of Wales Island

Alaska Mental Health Trust approved logging 1,438 acres near Hollis on Prince of Wales Island to harvest 20 million board feet of old-growth forest and fund mental health services.

by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 5mo ago2 min read