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The Alaska state ferry Taku was pulled out of service Thursday by the U.S. Coast Guard for an emergency safety inspection in Ketchikan, after a lifeboat cable snapped during a test in Wrangell. The Taku had left Juneau southbound on Wednesday.

The 14-hour delay in sailing to Prince Rupert resulted in a series of other schedule disruptions, including skipping stops in Petersburg, Craig and Metlakatla, said Roger Wetherell, spokesman for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, which includes the Alaska Marine Highway system.

"It came out of the blue, it took us a bit by surprise," Wetherell said.

The Taku was expected to pick up students heading for a regional swim meet in Juneau, he said. They had to find other travel arrangements, he said.

"It created a domino impact, and affected several additional cities," he said.

Pulling a ferry out of service rarely happens, said Lt. Cmdr. Bradley Clare of the U.S. Coast Guard in Juneau.

Clare said ordering a ferry to stay in port, with the associated inconvenience to passengers, isn't something that is done lightly. It was done because of more than the snapped cable, he said.

"It reached a point where we were concerned there were several deficiencies in the lifesaving systems, and they had to be addressed before the vessel left U.S. waters," he said.

More stringent rules apply to international travel, he said.

Clare said the concern with the 40-year-old vessel was that there might be wider problems than just the cable.

Wetherell said the crew of the Taku replaced the broken cable, but were told to remain in Ketchikan, their next port, until an inspection team from Juneau could arrive for a thorough inspection.

"What most confused us last night was that a list of deficiencies was already in the possession of the Coast Guard," he said. The agency has been supportive of the Taku's plans for fixing the problems, he said.

Clare said it is better that the concerns were allayed before the ship sailed.

"Some things that were found were corrected," he said. "Some of the deficiencies that are outstanding, there is a plan in place to correct."

The Coast Guard has no concerns about the Taku passengers' safety, he said.

"None of the deficiencies are significant enough that we don't feel the vessel can operate safely with passengers on board," he said.

Wetherell said that if ferry officials had any concerns about the ship's safety they would have canceled the trip themselves.

The Taku was seaworthy and was never in a position where it couldn't perform lifesaving operations at sea, he said.

Wetherell said ferry managers were disappointed that they were unable to provide service to the three ports they'd been scheduled to visit.

"We're trying to build on a good summer, trying to maintain a strong relationship with our riders and the communities we serve," he said.

• Contact reporter Pat Forgeyat 523-2250 or patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.