The state of Alaska is reviewing plans to build a shuttle ferry between the ports of Ketchikan and Prince Rupert.
The Southern Gateway Shuttle proposal will get two hard looks at a Marine Transportation Advisory Board teleconference on Tuesday and at the Southeast Conference annual meeting in Wrangell Sept. 26-28.
The state is feeling pressure from international safety regulations that will be effective by 2010, requiring up to $24 million in upgrades for each ferry.
The Alaska Marine Highway System chief, Robin Taylor, said those upgrades may include modifications to sleeping quarters and hallways, allowing proper access to escape routes in the event of a sinking or fire.
Some ferries in the system are more than 40 years old.
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Ferry proposal
• Alaska Marine Highway System chief Robin Taylor will hold a teleconference with the Marine Transportation Advisory Board at noon Tuesday at the Juneau office of the Southeast Conference.
• Bruce Hutchison, senior principal at Seattle-based Glosten Associates, will speak on his design recommendations for the new ferry at 10:15 a.m. Sept. 28 at the Nolan Center in Wrangell.
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The state hired engineering consultants last year to make a recommendation on the type of vessel that would be appropriate if the state decided to buy a shuttle.
Seattle-based Glosten Associates recommended a different type of boat from those already in the state's fleet.
To traverse the 90 miles between the two ports within a day, a vessel would have to travel at 23 knots. That falls between the 15 knots of the state's mainline ferries and the 30-knot speeds of its fast ferries.
"It's not a slow vessel," said Bruce Hutchison, the firm's senior principal.
The long and slender ferry would cost $50 million.
Taylor said there are many things to consider before the state makes a decision. But to beat the 2010 deadline, a decision should be made within the next year or two so there is enough time for the vessel to be built and to arrive in Alaska - about a two-year process, he said.
"I really have no bias or opinion on this," Taylor said. "The jury is still out."
Deploying the vessel would interrupt the traditional flow of the marine highway, in which a rider can board a vessel in Canada and stay aboard until his or her destination, he said.
With the shuttle vessel, riders would unload at Ketchikan and board another ferry to reach their destinations.
Another consideration is whether the state should take advantage of Port Simpson, a port 35 miles north of Prince Rupert. The port would be more than an hour closer to Ketchikan and would require a vehicle to travel at only 17 knots.
The Alaska Legislature decides whether to appropriate the money for a new ferry.
Hutchison said three to four boats currently frequent the route and the state would have to pay for modifications on each one.
• Andrew Petty can be reached at andrew.petty@juneauempire.com
