AMHS releases Summer Sailing Schedule with Prince Rupert Sailings set from July through September

The gates to the Alaska Marine Highway System dock in Prince Rupert
could swing open again in July as the Alaska Ferry service puts the
North Coast back on the Destination map for a three month sailing season

The Alaska Marine Highway System has put the finishing touches to their Spring and Summer sailing schedules and the latest revision features a short three month period of Port Calls for Prince Rupert, with the MV Matanuska set to call on the community thirteen times from July to September.

The new travel schedule comes after a lengthy suspension of service which was announced in the fall of 2019, the stoppage was related to a number of factors ranging from security concerns to State finances and other elements.

All of which accounted for the end of the regular runs that connect Prince Rupert and Ketchikan.

With the release of the summer schedule, the First arrival for 2020 will come at 11PM on July 7th when the MV Matanuska arrives from Ketchikan.    

The final departure for 2020 out of the Fairview Bay Terminal in Prince Rupert is set for 2:30 AM on September 30th.

In total there are thirteen sailings so far included in the AMHS plans for Prince Rupert in 2020.

The snapshot of the three month schedule can be viewed below: 

To this point, neither the State of Alaska, or Prince Rupert Mayor Lee Brain, who has made a number of trips to Alaska related to the state of the Alaska service, have made note as to how, or if, the past security issues have been addressed to allow for the resumption of service.

The summer schedule may also be subject to change depending on the state of the AMHS fleet this summer. 

The vessel that has been assigned the Prince Rupert to Ketchikan run has had a number of mechanical issues in the last six months, the workhorse of the AMHS fleet is currently sitting at the Ketchikan Shipyard drydock as repari work continues on the vessel.

The latest update from the State notes that AMHS is as of yet unable to provide an anticipated return to service date for the Matanuska, a situation which hopefully doesn't carry on towards July.

As we noted in January, the fate of the entire Alaska Marine Highway System is currently part of a wide ranging review being conducted by the State of Alaska as they look to find a path towards a financial plan for the marine transportation service.

You can access the AMHS sailing schedule page here, details on the summer booking season can be explored here.

For more notes on Marine Transportation on the North Coast see our archive page.