Winter in Unalaska by Sam Zmolek
Your voice in the Aleutians.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The KUCB Newsroom provides newscasts Monday through Thursday at noon and 5 PM on KUCB Radio. You can find many of our local news stories here.

State ferry Tustumena is offline for repairs for up to a week

The current Tustumena, seen here in Sand Point in August 2023, was built in 1964 and has sailed one of the roughest ferry routes in the world for almost six decades. Her replacement is expected in 2027.
Theo Greenly
/
KUCB
DOT is looking to solicit bids for a replacement vessel by November and to award a contract by the end of the year. But until a replacement is ready, staff will have to keep up with the aging boat.

The state ferry Tustumena, which shuttles passengers between communities like Homer, Kodiak and Unalaska, is laid up in a shipyard in Seward for repairs.

“(It’s) not something that we can fix while it’s in the water,” said Sam Dapcevich, a public information officer for the Alaska Marine Highway System. “So they’re going to haul it out in Seward and evaluate it and come up with a repair plan.”

Affectionately known as the “Trusty Tusty,” crews are looking to replace a rusted and leaking tail shaft. Dapcevich says they hope repairs will be done by October 18.

The Aurora, the ferry that serves the eastern Gulf of Alaska, will also be in the JAG Shipyard for scheduled repairs this week as well.

Dapcevich says ferries like the Tustumena have a life expectancy of just 30 years or so, but the boat has been in operation for almost double that time. He says rusted-out parts, like those found on the ferry Matanuska earlier this year, are a major concern for the Department of Transportation.

“It’s way beyond what the normal life would be for a ship like that and so when these rusted steel, or we refer to it as wasted steel, when these kinds of issues come up, we have to take care of it,” he said. “We want to keep the passengers safe and make sure that the ship can be out there on the open sea.”

DOT is looking to solicit bids for a replacement vessel by November and to award a contract by the end of the year. But until a replacement is ready, staff will have to keep up with the aging boat.

Related Content