Alaska Marine Highway signs 50 year lease for Fairview Terminal

As Mayor Jack Mussallem mentioned at Monday evening's City Council session, the Alaska Marine Highway System has confirmed its intentions to service Prince Rupert for a fair ways into this century.

Delivering word of the signing of a fifty year lease between Alaska and Canada, for their terminal location at Fairview Bay on the City's West side.

Details of the lease arrangement and the plans for some 11 million dollars in rebuilding costs for the AMHS dock can be found in the minutes of an Alaska Department of Transport meeting from February  13th. (Attachment three)

As part of that discussion, AMHS officials outlined the relevant factors in continuing their port call of Prince Rupert and the importance of the southern terminal to the system, despite a decline in traffic over the last ten years.

Key among the factors is the use of Prince Rupert as a way for Alaskan commercial haulers to get frozen fish and other goods onto the road system as quickly as possible. As well as the convenience of Prince Rupert as opposed to the longer journey to Bellingham, Washington.

For now, the Alaska Marine Highway system will continue to service Prince Rupert for 1 -2 days per week from October through June, with four day a week service in place for the summer months. AMHS officials will continue to monitor the usage numbers and will match their service with the need it demands.