AMHS vessel Malaspina on the Selling Block (again)

The Malaspina at Prince Rupert in 2018

The Alaska Ferry Malaspina, which has had a long and colourful history and attachment with Prince Rupert most likely won't be seen in our waters again, even if the AMHS service does return as hoped in the Spring or Summer of this year.

Last Friday, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced that the vessel which went into service after its construction in 1963, will put up for sale once gain, with a US buyer already having expressed interest.

The current listing one of a number of times that the State of Alaska has hoped to find a buyer for  near sixty year old ferry.

click to enlarge

The Malaspina has been one of the workhorses of the Alaskan Fleet, having served the Prince Rupert to Ketchikan run extensively in the 1990's and again seeing occasional service up until only a few years ago.

The vessel perhaps became best known for being the focal point of a fishery dispute between Alaska and British Columbia in August of 1997, when the Malaspina was blockaded by a large flotilla of fishing boats in Prince Rupert Harbour, before cooler heads prevailed and negotiations allowed a return to transit. 

While the MV Malaspina eventually did set sail, it's of note that the fishery dispute of the past has returned once again for much the same conditions of concern.

As for the vessel herself, outside of the incident of 1997,  more often the transit was less controversial and served to bring British Columbians and Alaskans together, with more than a few PRSS and CHSS Basketball teams making the trek north for a tournament.

It's not the first time that Alaska has attempted to sell off or give-away  the vessel, 

In June of 2021, the State had hoped to give away the vessel to the Philippines.

The Philippines is just one destination that could have been a home, with Alaska Public Media tracking some of the history of the vessel in October of last year.

For the current go round towards dispatching the vessel for good, the State of Alaska will be entertaining offers until March 7th.

More notes on Marine Transportation on the North Coast and Alaska can be explored from our archive page.