The state ferry that has been operating for 50 years Columbia is currently out of service for at least a week due to two issues with maintenance — an issue with the bow thruster and pipes that are leaking. The ferry was set to travel throughout Southeast Alaska and south to Washington state for the entire summer long. It’s now in the Vigor shipyard in Ketchikan until the 28th of June.
“The Coast Guard was on the vessel, and they looked over the vessel,” said Sam Dapcevich official spokesperson of the state Department of Transportation. “We ensure all our boats are operating in a safe manner. This is why our focus is at the moment.”
Columbia Columbia is one of the biggest mainline ferry lines. It covers 418 feet in length and can accommodate up to 500 passengers. This week, the crew observed leaks in pipes that transport salt water to this fire fighting system. Dapcevich stated that it’s been an ongoing problem with the ship’s old model.
“They repaired one area and then reposition it in another area,” he said. “So those permanent fixes that were done are great, but we saw additional rust in different areas, or even further corrosion.”
After that, while the Columbia was at Skagway on the 19th of June workers spotted that one bow thruster had problems. This part is essential to steer the huge vessel as it docks. Ferry system administrators chose to transfer the Columbia from Skagway to the Ketchikan boatyard, with no passengers aboard. A few passengers from Skagway were able to hop on another ferry called the Hubbard towards Haines as well as Juneau. Some passengers had their plans canceled.
All Columbia sailings until June 27 have been cancelled. Dapcevich explained that before the ferry is allowed to travel through international waters while heading south the main fire pipes have to be tested to determine the pressure. After the repairs the ferry is set to resume sailing towards Bellingham, Washington on June 28.
This week the governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed $10 million in Alaska Marine Highway money from the operating budget the Legislature has approved. Dapcevich claimed that the veto was not cutting transportation services. Dapcevich said that it was a contingency fund to cover the event that federal funding was cut.
“That vote was vetoed in order to not hold up general funds for an unneeded contingency” the official said.
Dapcevich stated that if the anticipated federal funding isn’t forthcoming the state may make use of the money generated by passenger fares to cover the gap.
