The Hubbard state ferry is out of service until at least Monday due to mechanical issues, according to an official announcement published Thursday, adding to concerns about “growing pains” raised earlier this summer about the newest vessel in the Alaska Marine Highway System fleet.
The ship suffered a generator failure Wednesday after it carried U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and a delegation including U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski from Juneau to Haines. Sam Dapcevich, a spokesperson for the ferry system, stated in an email Friday the generator has been suffering intermittent shutdowns that were occurring before Buttigieg’s trip.
The vessel was docked at the Auke Bay Ferry Terminal in Juneau on Friday, while the LeConte substituted for the day route between Juneau, Haines and Skagway.
“Today was LeConte’s down-day, so the crew fired up the engines and made Hubbard’s sailings,” Dapcevich wrote.
A technician is scheduled to arrive in Juneau to work on the Hubbard on Saturday, he noted.
The Hubbard is normally scheduled to provide service to the three communities every day except Monday. A revised schedule shows it will be out of service this Saturday and Sunday, but in turn will run Monday before resuming its usual weekly schedule.
“If we can get her back in service before the Sunday run, we’ll try to make that sailing,” Dapcevich wrote.
[Hubbard may be taken out of service as AMHS employee, vessel woes continue]
Buttigieg was asked during a brief press event in Juneau on Wednesday, following his visit to Haines, if the malfunction of the Hubbard affected his confidence in the state’s ferry system after hearing much about it during his three-day visit to Alaska. He said his biggest concern about the fleet is its aging vessels.
“When a new vessel encounters issues that’s ultimately reminding me that having new vessels is not all there is to the store,” he said. “We need to make sure that we’re creating a framework where operations, maintenance and capital planning can go well, but of course what I saw was a team that’s very proud to be providing those services and I’m sure is working through whatever issues the vessel is encountering right now.”
The 280-foot-long Hubbard was first envisioned to be a shuttle ferry in northern Lynn Canal in 2006, but it took until 2018 to complete initial construction. However, it remained out of service for more than four years after that until crew quarters were added to meet employee working hours requirements.
It officially began dayboat service in the canal in May, but in July a captain aboard the vessel told the AMHS’ operations board the ship was experiencing “growing pains” and “there are definitely some safety things that need to be addressed in the next yard period.” There was also a concern about placing an additional licensed engineer aboard due to a systemwide staffing shortage that threatened to temporarily halt service.
The engineer issue was resolved without disruption and Dapcevich said in July it “can unequivocally state that the Hubbard is safe.” On Friday he said the only other known issue is with the onboard phone system.
The vessel is scheduled to be out of service between Oct. 1 to Dec. 1 for yard work, and its next overhaul is scheduled for March 15 of next year.
The workforce shortages are also affecting operations on other vessels, which along with the aging fleet are ongoing problems state and federal officials are hoping to address through measures such as the bipartisan infrastructure law passed by Congress in 2021, which contains nearly $290 million for the state ferry system.
“You can’t operate a ferry — whether it’s in good running condition, or whether it’s a 54-year-old ship — you can’t operate it without the men and women,” Murkowski said during Wednesday’s press event that marked the end of Buttigieg’s Alaska trip. “We realized that we have had some real workforce challenges within our Alaska Marine Highway System. So when we talk about a sustainable Alaska Marine Highway System it’s everything from the shoreside, to good operational ships, to men and women that know what they’re doing and can keep the trains running on time.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
