Tustumena Return to Service Further Delayed
Extensive damaged steel on the vessel, more repair work is needed. Vessel is expected to return to service August 15.
(JUNEAU, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) announced today that more wasted steel was discovered in the engine room of the M/V Tustumena and repairs will require additional time at the Vigor Ketchikan Shipyard.
The Tustumena went in for its scheduled annual overhaul on March 13 and was originally scheduled to return to service on May 27. In early May, damaged steel was discovered in the engine room and the Tustumena’s return to service was initially pushed back to July 18. With this recent discovery of additional wasted steel, AMHS anticipates United States Coast Guard approval for the Tustumena’s return to service departing Homer at 5 p.m., Monday, August 15.
This delay impacts communities in Southwest Alaska and along the Aleutian chain. Usually, there are 10 trips scheduled along the Aleutian chain each year. Because of these delays, there will now be three remaining trips this year, with the first chain trip commencing on August 22.
The Tustumena is 53-years-old. A replacement vessel has been designed, but is awaiting construction funding in the pending fiscal year 2018 capital budget.
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. An updated schedule will be made available online at FerryAlaska.com.
Coastal Transportation, based in Seattle, continues to be an option for AMHS customers impacted by the Tustumena delay. Coastal Transportation can accommodate vehicles on an as-able basis, at the same cost as AMHS, transporting from Homer to Kodiak and to Aleutian destinations. Coastal Transportation can be reached at 1-800-544-2580 or 1-206-282-9979.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 237 airports, 9 ferries serving 35 communities along 3,500 marine miles, over 5,600 miles of highway and 839 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”
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