M/V TUSTUMENA

The M/V Tustumena, which just turned 60 years old, is expected to continue serving the Aleutian Chain with one run per month between May and September of next year.

The MV Tustumena turned 60 years old this year. She’s the oldest ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway System and she just completed her final Aleutian Chain run of the year. In August, Unalaskans met her at the port to celebrate the "Trusty Tusty’s" birthday. KUCB’s Theo Greenly was there — he rode the ferry down the chain to Homer, and he sends this audio postcard from the trip.

A big portion – $106.4 million – will go towards replacing the 60-year-old Tustumena, seen here in Sand Point in June 2024, that serves the Aleutian Islands. The price tag for the project, called TRV for Tustumena Replacement Vessel, is over $315 million. The rest of the cost will come from federal money the state has already received. The ferry build is scheduled to be completed in 2027-28.

The M/V Tustumena will not be making stops in False Pass, Akutan or Unalaska in May. An Alaska Marine Highway System spokesperson said the state ferry is undergoing a leak repair before its seasonal launch this year.

The Alaska Marine Highway System released its 2024 summer schedule, and the M/V Tustumena is scheduled to make one Aleutian chain run a month from May through September, totaling five port calls in Dutch Harbor.

The Alaska Marine Highway System released a draft of the 2024 summer ferry schedule on Tuesday, proposing the same number of Aleutian Chain runs as the last two years.

$92 million of the grant will contribute to a project to replace the Tustumena. The “Rusty Tusty” is almost 60 years old. Its replacement will be the state’s first diesel-electric hybrid ferry. The state is required to match at least $23 million for this portion of the grant.

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

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.