Alaska Marine Highway - Current Vessels

Current Vessels

The following vessels, from smallest to largest, currently serve in the Alaska Marine Highway's fleet:

• M/V Lituya, solely dedicated to serving the Ketchikan-Metlakatla route.
• M/V Aurora, operates in Prince William Sound.
• M/V LeConte, serves the feeder communities in northern Southeast as a day boat.
• M/V Chenega (fast ferry), operates in Prince William Sound.
• M/V Fairweather (fast ferry), operates a variety of routes in Southeast Alaska.
• M/V Tustumena, serves Southcentral and Aleutian Island communities.
• M/V Taku, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska.
• M/V Malaspina, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Bellingham.
• M/V Matanuska, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Prince Rupert, but beginning in Bellingham for Spring 2011.
• M/V Kennicott, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Prince Rupert and making a cross-Gulf of Alaska trip to Southcentral Alaska once a month.
• M/V Columbia, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Bellingham.

Most Alaska Marine Highway System vessels are built for multiple-day voyages due to the large distances between ports. For example, it takes just under three days to travel from Bellingham to Skagway, and 18 hours for the Sitka to Juneau "milk run". Because of this, larger vessels (M/V Tustumena and larger) come with staterooms, while all mainline vessels have solariums, showers, and lounges for sleeping. Hot food services and, on the M/V Columbia, a sit-down restaurant are also offered.

In July 2011 the Marine Highway began the bidding process to build the first of what they refer to as "Alaska-Class Vessels", made to travel shorter routes. They would not have staterooms available for passengers. One hundred-twenty million dollars have been set aside for the project, no set timeline for completion has been established.

All current vessels are named after Alaskan glaciers.