M/V TUSTUMENA

While in town, visiting representatives discussed the future of the ferry system — among other local concerns.

The Alaska Marine Highway System released its summer sailing schedule Tuesday, and Unalaska will receive similar service as last year. The M/V Tustumena is the only state ferry serving the Aleutian chain, and it will make six calls in Unalaska this summer — roughly once per month from May through September.

The 300-foot ocean-class ferry Tustumena is nearly six decades old. The plan for its replacement now includes a room for housing batteries with the potential to expand.

The M/V Tustumena returns to service this week. That’s the only Alaska Marine Highway System ferry that sails between all 13 ports of call out the Aleutian Chain.The Kennicott has been the only ferry sailing to the Aleutians since the nearly 60-year-old Tusty went into the shipyard for repairs back in December.

The Alaska Marine Highway System has dropped its mask mandate, nearly two years after imposing it. The department announced the end of its mask requirement on Tuesday, the day after a federal judge struck down a directive from the Biden administration that required masks on public transportation.

It’s official. The M/V Tustumena is finally being replaced. The over $200 million project was announced by Gov. Mike Dunleavy during a Saturday visit to Kodiak.

House Speaker Louise Stutes has appointed a former Unalaska mayor to a new ferry oversight board.Shirley Marquardt will be joining the nine-member Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board, which was established through the passage of House Bill 63 — introduced by Speaker Stutes last session.

The M/V Tustumena is now scheduled to arrive in Unalaska at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, and to depart in the late afternoon. It is the last ferry scheduled to visit the island this year.

After delays due to weather, the MV Tustumena, which was scheduled to arrive in Unalaska on Saturday, has now been pushed back a week, according to the Department of Transportation. The department cancelled all ferry sailings through Oct. 5, citing crew shortages as the cause.The Tustumena has now been rescheduled to arrive in Unalaska on Friday Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. and to depart the following morning at 3:30 a.m.Visit dot.alaska.gov/amhs for more information.

All but one of the cruises originally scheduled to stop in Unalaska have been cancelled. The island was expecting nearly 20 ports of call for the 2021…