Amhs News

Hubbard, a new ferry built in 2019 for Alaska's Marine Highway System (AMHS), was formally christened this week after a change of plans put the vessel's entry into service on hold.The vessel is the second of two Alaska class ferries designed by Seattle-based Elliott Bay Design Group and constructed at Vigor Shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska. Construction of both vessels began in October 2014. The series' first ferry, Tazlina, was christened in 2018, and Hubbard was completed in 2019.Intended to operate as day boats to serve the AMHS Lynn Canal route between Juneau…

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced more than $703 million to fund 41 projects in 22 states and one territory that designed to help improve port facilities through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. Following is the full list of FY 2022 Port Infrastructure Development Grant Awards:ALASKANorth Extension Stabilization Step 1 Project ($68,700,000), Anchorage, AlaskaThe Project will reconfigure and realign the shoreline within the “North Extension” (the area north of the existing general cargo terminals) at the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska.

It’s a common story in the U.S. shipbuilding industry today. A piece of equipment that used to be available for delivery on short notice—maybe in one or two weeks—now must be ordered months or more in advance, and it costs double. Add to this rising steel prices and the labor issues that have pervaded nearly all industrial sectors since the early days of the pandemic, and it’s clear that business is far from usual for American shipyards.Bollinger Shipyards president and CEO, Ben Bordelon…

A suspect has been taken into custody following a bomb scare aboard a passenger car ferry in Juneau, Alaska, Wednesday morning.At 6:49 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard watchstanders received a call from the captain of the LeConte, reporting a bomb threat aboard the ferry scheduled to depart Juneau. Coast Guard law enforcement personnel conducted a security sweep of the vessel and found no credible threats.The suspect, who reportedly drove a vehicle onto the ferry and made the threats, has been apprehended by Juneau Police Department (JPD) and the vehicle was impounded without incident.The Coast Guard, which worked alongside Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) and JPD to ensure passenger safety and restore service…

MarineNews showcases the ten best of North America’s 2018 workboat deliveries. Domestic shipyard production is robust, innovative and getting greener. And, that translates into two kinds of ‘green.’As the domestic offshore energy support sector slowly awakens, other sectors have been happy to take the spotlight in its absence. As always, and if a hull was delivered in 2018, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For my part, I’m always excited when the U.S. boatbuilding sector can deliver for a foreign buyer. We’ve checked that box here. And, that’s because we can compete on price, quality and when we do…

Domestic ferries adjust their business models to met regulatory pressures and exceed environmental standards with an eye towards improved service. And, not a minute too soon. In North America, stalwarts in the ferry business continue to shorten journey times compared to surface alternatives, while at the same time, bring accessibility to barrier and coastal islands that would otherwise be impossible to reach. Established stakeholders continually fine-tune their operations in a…

The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) has awarded the Alaska Class Ferry project to Vigor Alaska shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska, where construction is currently underway. Providing production design for the ferry is Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering consultancy Glosten, who along with Vigor Alaska, are two of Cadmatic’s newest customers in the U.S. Delivering its design in the imperial unit versions of both Cadmatic Hull and Outfitting, Glosten’s production design of the Alaska Class Ferry represents the premiere application of Cadmatic 3D CAD/CAM engineering software in the northern U.S. The 280-foot, 300-passenger, 53-vehicle Alaska Class Ferry will primarily transit the Lynn Canal and shorter AMHS routes in Southeast Alaska.

Over the past several months, FVF Chenega, a high-speed car ferry in the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) fleet, was repowered with four new MTU Series 4000 engines. In April, the project was completed with two days of successful sea trials in Seattle. Engineers from MTU America Inc., a Rolls-Royce Power Systems company, along with members of the Chenega’s crew and other AMHS representatives ran the ship through a series of extensive performance and endurance tests on Puget Sound. The results of the tests were positive, according to the crew and the engineering team.

Ferries for Alaska’s harsh conditions, built in Alaska by Alaskans. Vigor and Elliott Bay Design Group team up for a winning combination as the new Alaska Class Ferry Project takes shape. With its network of islands and fjords, rugged mountains and spectacular tidewater glaciers, Alaska’s Inside Passage may make a perfect summer cruise destination, but locals can’t choose when they travel. So when Alaskans need transport, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) must find a way to move them.

Announced by Governor Sean Parnell Saturday, September 20, the State of Alaska and Vigor Industrial have reached a final agreement to construct two Alaska Class Ferries at Vigor Alaska in Ketchikan. The vessels will be the first Alaska Marine Highway System ferries to be built in Alaska. “Here we are today to launch this shipyard to a new level, a new level of good jobs, a new level of growth for Ketchikan businesses that are going to supply the shipyard and its workers,” Governor…

Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG), a naval architecture and marine engineering firm with offices in Seattle, New Orleans and Ketchikan, Alaska, today announced the completion of the M/V Columbia repower. EBDG provided design services and ongoing owner support services for the ferry's repower, which was performed by Vigor Marine in Portland, Ore. "The Columbia was designed for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) by EBDG's predecessor firm, so we're intimately familiar with the vessel and its systems," said EBDG Project Manager Matt Williamson.

Willard Marine, a 56-year-old builder of composite and aluminum boats, has delivered two rescue boats for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). Under the contract, Willard Marine is supplying two U.S. Coast Guard-approved SEA FORCE 670 SOLAS fast rescue boats (FRBs) for the 418-ft. passenger/ro-ro ferry M/V Columbia. Each of the two 22-ft. fiberglass 670 FRBs is powered by an inboard 230 HP diesel engine and water jet and can carry up to nine passengers. The boats meet all…

Willard Marine, a 56-year-old builder of composite and aluminum boats, has recently taken orders to build rescue boats for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS), U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) and Maersk Lines Ltd. The Willard Marine rescue boats meet all U.S. Coast Guard requirements under the international Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) treaty. AMHS has ordered two 670 rescue boats for the M/V Columbia, which is being refitted with new safety equipment. The boats are being supplied through Vigor Industrial Shipyard in Portland, Ore.

Design Alaska, a Fairbanks-based architecture, engineering and surveying firm; and Art Anderson Associates, its naval architecture subconsultant, were recently awarded a contract for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) to investigate potential energy efficiency improvements. The contract, driven by new International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations, requires development of Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans (SEEMPs) for three AMHS vessels. The new IMO standards require vessels traveling internationally to obtain International Energy Efficiency Certificates (IEECs) demonstrating that vessel owners and operators have developed energy efficiency plans for their travel routes and vessel operating systems.

Art Anderson Associates, a Bremerton-based multidisciplinary engineering services firm, has named Ralph E. Duncan, PE as Vice-President of Marine and Sean M. Hoynes, PE as Vice-President of Facilities. Each will be responsible for customer relationship management, program management, resource planning and allocation, contract compliance, quality assurance, personnel supervision, marketing, sales and strategy. The promotions reflect a crystallization of the firm’s Marine and Facilities market sectors and position the company for sustained growth in the new economy. Mr.

Radio Holland USA has been awarded a multi-year contract for supply of VSAT and airtime services for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). The fleet, a division of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, State of Alaska, is made up of 11 vessels; transporting people and vehicles to 34 locations along the Alaska coastline and along a 1000 mile stretch of the Aleutian Chain to the Bering Sea. The route goes through the Inside Passage and passes through islands with high mountains and steep fjords. Due to the extreme northern latitudes and the rugged terrain, typical off the shelf supplied equipment and airtime services would not meet the demanding requirements for the AMHS.

Elliott Bay Design Group LLC (EBDG) has a number of major ferry design projects in progress with clients from across the country, including many repeat customers. In early 2008 the Texas Department of Transportation (DOT), Corpus Christi District selected EBDG to design a new 28-car ferry for service between Port Aransas and Harbor Island. This short route forms the continuation of Texas State Highway 361 across the Corpus Christi Channel. The multi-phased design effort began with a Design Study Report, which included a hull and superstructure configuration study, propulsion and steering configuration and cost studies, and a capital cost study. Follow-on phases include Contract Design, Bid Support and Construction Liaison.

At a press conference the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Helga Pedersen, announced that the Norwegian government will propose to parliament that the U-864, a German submarine which sank in World War II, should be salvaged rather than left on the seabed and encased to ensure the safety of people and environment. The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) selected Mammoet Salvage for the potential salvage of the submarine which contains toxic mercury and explosives. The proposal will be discussed in the Norwegian parliament in the near future. The salvage operation of the submarine will be undertaken in the summer of 2010. In the period leading up to that Mammoet will prepare dedicated equipment for the operation.

Pacific Maritime Institute (PMI), the West Coast affiliate of the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) will be providing Fast Rescue Boat training for marine personnel of the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). The Fast Rescue Boat training will take place on the M/V Columbia on September 22-26 and September 29-October 3, 2003. The Alaska Marine Highway System requires that Chief Mates, Boatswains, Able-Bodied Seamen, and First and Junior Engineers must obtain Fast Rescue Boat certification on their STCW-95 certificates.

SeaWave, LLC has installed the SeaWave Integrator 3.0 aboard the Alaska Marine Highway System's (AMHS) high speed ferry "Fairweather," as it embarks on a one month trip for delivery from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Juneau, Alaska today. The builder of the vessel, Derecktor Shipyards, wanted to have a communications system on board for email and weather tracking for its delivery voyage. Working with SeaWave, this has been accomplished. The SeaWave Integrator will provide voice and email communications to the Derecktor delivery captain and 10 crew members during transit of the first commercial ferry to be built to the international High Speed Craft (HSC) code in the United States.

As technologically advanced as communications have become, the bottom line, particularly for business applications, remains basically the same: the need for clear, reliable and cost-effective means to communicate. Trends in the transmission of data, voice and e-mail from ship-to-shore are much like that of land-based operations. The need for more speed and increased reliability are never ending, and the companies that excel are the ones that not only continually innovate, but those that consistently stay on the front of the curve to deliver real-world technologies that deliver benefits in the unique maritime operational environment. In parallel, price pressures are ubiquitous, as shipowners are keen to exploit every outlet to cut costs and generate revenue.

Derecktor Shipyards was given the notice of intent to award by the State of Alaska the contract for the construction of the first two passenger/vehicle high-speed ferries for its Marine Highway System. The NGA design presented by Derecktor competed in a bid race that lasted several months and ended with the notice of intent to award going to Derecktor Shipyards. This project, funded by the Federal Government, allows the State of Alaska to link Sitka to Juneau with fast modern boats, capable of a comfortable one-day round trip. The Alaska Marine Highway System has been operating year-round since 1963, with regularly scheduled passenger and vehicle service to 32 communities in Alaska. It carries over 300,000 passengers every year.

Derecktor Shipyards won the contract for the construction of the first two passenger /vehicle high-speed ferries for the State of Alaska's Marine Highway System. The NGA design presented by Derecktor competed in a bid race that lasted several months and ended with the notice of intent to award going to Derecktor Shipyards. This project, funded by the Federal Government, allows the State of Alaska to link Sitka to Juneau with fast modern boats, capable of a one-day round trip. The Alaska Marine Highway System has been operating year-round since 1963, with regularly scheduled passenger and vehicle service to 32 communities in Alaska. It carries more than 300,000 passengers every year. The new boats are designed by Nigel Gee and Associates (NGA) Ltd.