A generator malfunction on Wednesday took the Hubbard ferry out of service at least through Saturday, leaving the Alaska Marine Highway System scrambling for ways to get ferry service running in the Upper Lynn Canal.
Alaska Department of Transportation spokesperson Sam Dapcevich said the malfunction happened sometime after the Hubbarb landed in Haines on Wednesday carrying U.S. DOT Sec. Pete Buttigieg and Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, among other passengers.
The ferry is normally scheduled to run from Haines to Skagway and back, but the malfunction forced it to head directly back to Juneau.
No ferry ran to Haines on Thursday. On Friday, the LeConte, which normally doesn’t run Fridays, filled in for the run through the Upper Lynn Canal. No ferry is expected to run Saturday. The ferry service is hoping a replacement part and a technician can get the ferry running again by Sunday, but Dapcevich said that’s also contingent on getting an inspection from the Coast Guard.
The Hubbard entered service in May.
Passengers can find the latest information on the Hubbard’s schedule online on the AMHS website. Passengers already scheduled on days that are canceled should be contacted by DOT staff to get refunded or rebooked.