Working Conditions Aboard the Matanuska

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 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.

Alaska Marine Highway System ferry schedules were updated on March 16, 2021, due to a mechanical issue prompting the cancellation of the 'Matanuska'’s southbound trip to Bellingham, Washington. Instead the ferry 'Kennicott' was to resume service from Ketchikan early on March 18, heading for Bellingham, accommodating some northbound traffic of the 'Matanuska' throughout the southern panhandle The 'Matanuska' started a trial run with a technician onboard, departing Juneau on the afternoon of March 17 to transport stranded passengers in Haines and Skagway. The ship was anticipated to resume the scheduled service then. Meanwhile all passengers were notified, rebooked or refunded as necessary.