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Decommissioned ferries loaded onto dock ship
The two former Alaska Marine Highway ferries 'HSC Chenega' and 'Fairweather' started their journey to Spain in the morning of June 25 from Ketchikan’s Ward Cove out to the waiting transport ship. Two Amak tugs pulled the ferries onto the heavy-lift ship 'Red Zed 1' which had arrived in Ketchikan in April. The two fast ferries cost the state $68 million to build. Though their speed made them popular, they took more fuel and maintenance to run and struggled in rough seas. Cost-cutting decisions pulled them from service after about a decade servicing Alaska communities. The state of Alaska negotiated $5.1 million for the pair in a sealed-bid auction to the Spanish ferry company Trasmapi which runs catamarans to and from the island of Ibiza in the Mediterranean Sea. To get there, the 'Red Zed 1' will ferry them to the Atlantic via the Panama Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar. Report with photos: https://www.ktoo.org/2021/06/26/former-alaska-ferries-begin-journey-to-spain/
Fast ferries to be taken from Ward Cove to Spain on dock ship
The Alaska Marine Highway’s two former fast ferries 'Fairweather' and 'Chenega' will soon be loaded onto the heavy-lift ship 'Red Zed 1' headed for Spain. The catamarans were recently sold for about $5 million to the Spanish ferry company Trasmapi and will be shipped via the Panama Canal. The 'Red Zed 1' has been anchored outside of Ketchikan’s Ward Cove since early April. The dock ship will start to lower itself into the Tongass Narrows around 1 a.m. on June 25. The two ferries are scheduled to be towed out of the cove and loaded between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and expected to depart the Ketchikan area shortly afterwards. The state took the 'Chenega' out of service in 2015. The 'Fairweather' followed in 2019. With no interest from state agencies or municipalities, the state put them out for auction in January. It got just one bid — from Spanish ferry operator Trasmapi — and closed the $5.1 million sale in March. The ferries are expected to take passengers to and from Ibiza. Report with photo: https://www.krbd.org/2021/06/23/former-amhs-ferries-expected-to-be-loaded-onto-heavy-lift-ship-outside-ketchikans-ward-cove-friday/
Ferries with mechanical trouble
Both the ferries "Columbia" and "HSC Fairweather" encountered problems that required drydock for repairs. Sailings on the "Fairweather" were cancelled on Sep 16, 2016, due to an unspecified mechanical issue. A recent inspection discovered damage to the "Columbia"’s starboard propeller. The repair will require the vessel to enter drydock in Ketchikan. The "Columbia" will sail a revised scheduled through to Sep 27, then enter drydock for repair. It will resume its published scheduled on Oct 5, departing Ketchikan for Bellingham, Washington.
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