Haines may be in for a repeat of last winter. The Matanuska is once again experiencing mechanical difficulties, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT).
The Matanuska had been undergoing its regularly scheduled overhaul in the Vigor Shipyard in Ketchikan. On Tuesday, during routine testing, DOT discovered an issue with the vessel’s port reduction gear box, an issue that prevents the port propeller from going in reverse.
DOT has cancelled Matanuska sailings through Feb. 23 while the manufacturer tries to source the parts needed for the repair and ship those to Ketchikan.
“Our goal is to resume service southbound from Ketchikan to Bellingham on February 24,” special assistant to the DOT commissioner Andy Mills said. He said the department has added sailings of the LeConte to cover for the Matanuska for the next two weeks, but Haines could lose service if mechanical difficulties persist.
Between March and mid-April, the Matanuska is the only ferry scheduled to dock in Haines.
“If the Matanuska is not repaired by March, there are no other vessels available to service Haines until Matanuska is repaired,” Mills said.
As of Wednesday, the department believes the vessel’s mechanical issues are unrelated to the mechanical issues it experienced last winter, Mills said. He said the department is awaiting confirmation from the manufacturer.
Haines went without ferry service for seven weeks in early 2020, the result of budget cuts and the breakdown of the department’s sole functioning mainliner, the Matanuska, in late January.
Early Wednesday morning, a bomb threat delayed the departure of the LeConte, which had been scheduled to leave Juneau for Pelican. In a press release, the department said an unidentified man driving a Toyota Tundra truck at high speeds bypassed the staging line and boarded the ship’s car deck. The man was heard by the crew “muttering about a bomb and firearms” after exiting the vehicle. The Juneau Police Department took the man into custody.
The LeConte was cleared to resume sailing after the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a sweep of the vessel. Passengers scheduled to depart on Wednesday were rescheduled for Saturday.