Skip to content
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2013
No.: 13-2529
Contact: Jeremy Woodrow, 907-465-8994, Jeremy.Woodrow@alaska.gov

Tustumena Return to Service Delayed

(JUNEAU, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) today announced that the M/V Tustumena will not return to service until July 23, 2013.

The M/V Tustumena entered a federal capital improvement project on November 1, 2012 and was originally scheduled to return to service on April 17, 2013. Due, in part, to unexpected discovery items, specifically steel work, a project extension until May 29, 2013 was conveyed to the Seward Ship’s Drydock.

The Alaska Department and Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) has agreed with the shipyard to extend the project timeline. As a result, AMHS is forced to cancel scheduled M/V Tustumena sailings through July 22, 2013. The vessel is scheduled to begin service July 23, 2013 departing Seldovia, Alaska.

Due to the high volume of passenger traffic on state ferries during July, AMHS will not be able to reroute other vessels to the affected communities. In an effort to still provide a minimum level of service, ADOT&PF has posted on the State of Alaska Online Public Notices website a “Request for Information” (RFI) to provide alternate ferry service to Kodiak Island communities.

“It’s extremely unfortunate that the Tustumena’s return to service date is further postponed, as this delay affects numerous communities, residents and businesses across Alaska,” said AMHS General Manager Captain John Falvey. “It is our intention to have the vessel back in service as quickly as possible.”

An updated schedule is available online at FerryAlaska.com. AMHS staff is contacting affected passengers; for more information, please call your local terminal or the AMHS central reservations office at 1-907-465-3941 or toll free at 1-800-642-0066.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 254 airports, 11 ferries serving 35 communities, 5,619 miles of highway and 720 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

# # #

«13-2528 Main Newsroom Page 13-2530 »