The Alaska Marine Highway System canceled plans to replace controllable-pitch propellers aboard the state ferry Columbia next year, opting to keep the 52-year-old ship in service until a replacement vessel is built.
The propulsion system project was estimated in 2022 to cost as much as $20 million.
The largest vessel in the fleet, Columbia serves the ferry system’s longest and most heavily traveled route between Bellingham, Wash., and Southeast Alaska. The ship was scheduled to…
