MATANUSKA
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Ageing ferry to be disposed of
The Alaska Marine Highway System, operated by the state’s Department of Transportation, has decided to part with the last of its historic ferries and issued a Request for Information on March 20, 2026, for the disposition of the 'Matanuska'. The priority was to “dispose of the vessel in a manner that honoured its historic significance while allowing it to continue serving Alaska in new innovative ways. The state was seeking letters of interest from qualified offerors to purchase, acquire, preserve, repurpose the ferry, which was built in Seattle in 1963. The focus was on preservation, adaptive reuse, or continued maritime service that respected the vessel’s legacy. It suggested uses for maritime training, tourism, community, or cultural use, education, museum, research, or heritage preservation, but would also accept letters proposing scrapping, dismantling, or scuttling. Old age has caught up with the 'Matanuska', along with years of deferred maintenance. A 2022 survey found extensive steel deterioration and asbestos in the crew quarters. The ferry would require at least 125,000 pounds of steel replacement. Estimates to restore it for the state’s intercoastal service were at least $45 million or up to $132 million to bring her up to international code for service beyond Alaska. The 'Matanuska' has been docked in Ketchikan, Alaska, and for the past few years has been used to provide accommodations for Alaska Marine Highway staff. In 2025, the ferry staff made the recommendation to the state to retire the ship, saying she was simply too costly to restore to service. Facing a lack of grant money from the Trump administration, the Alaska Marine Highway System had to deal with a greater financial shortfall, and the decision was to lower expenses by disposing of the historic ship.
Repair time extended
Due to the extent of additional repairs and vendor delays on the 'Matanuska', the ship’s expected returned to service is now Jan. 31 ,2022. Welders in the Ketchikan Shipyard worked extended hours to replace and repair damaged steel on the ferry. Additional repairs of control systems, the waste heat boiler system, and a generator repair are needed. The ship usually serves Bellingham, Juneau, Haines and Skagway, among other communities. The delay means that Skagway will not have ferry service from Jan. 8 through about Feb. 5. Haines is served by the 'Kennicott' on Jan. 12, but the ship is not scheduled to call on Skagway at this time. The delay has caused a Jan. 24 cancellation to the 'Matanuska' sailing to Bellingham, as well. Passengers may rebook on a later sailing or seek alternative arrangements to reach their destination. AMHS reservation staff is reaching out to affected passengers to provide assistance. AMHS is seeking alternatives for the missed sailings, including crewing the 'Tazlina' to provide service to Northern Lynn Canal and other communities. The department will share more information on these alternative sailings as soon as possible
Two crew members tested positive for Covid 19
Two members of the engineering crew on the 'Matanuska' tested positive for COVID-19 on a trip from Washington state to Juneau on April 17, 2021. No passengers were identified as close contacts. The ferry was underway from Bellingham to Ketchikan when one crew member began showing symptoms of the virus. The captain, following the ship’s COVID-19 protocols, quarantined the crew member in the cabin with the ventilation system turned off. The crew member tested positive for the virus at Ketchikan Hospital. He was isolating at a hotel in Ketchikan. Testing and contact tracing revealed one other engineering crew member who tested positive for the virus. That person stayed aboard the ferry until it arrived in Juneau. Both crew members will remain isolated for at least 10 days, state officials say. The crew will receive follow-up testing in Ketchikan on April 21.
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