The state Department of Transportation has a design for the ship that will replace the ferry Tustumena.
DOT Deputy Commissioner Mike Neussl said the new design focuses on two key issues. First, to make the new ferry carry as many people and vehicles as possible. The second goal was to make it small enough and shallow enough to use all the docks and shore side infrastructure used by the Tustumena right now.
“Both of those design criteria were put in. The design is complete but the process going forward is to get that design into construction, build a vessel, put it into service and replace the existing Tustumena on its runs with a new more capable vessel,” said Neussl.
The Tustumena has served communities in southcentral and southwest Alaska for a little more than 50 years. The ferry’s home port is in Homer and it regularly travels to 13 ports between Homer and Unalaska.
Neussl isn’t sure when construction will start on the new ferry or how long it will take. He said a vessel of that size typically takes at least two or three years to build. He said it depends on contract terms with the shipyard doing the work.
“As a comparator, the Alaska Class Ferries being built out in Ketchikan … the construction period was intentionally lengthened to drive the cost of those ferries down. Instead of having three ship builders working around the clock to try and build it as fast as possible, you work on it at a slower pace,” explained Neussl.
Neussl said none of those decisions have been made for the Tustumena and the construction contract has not been opened up for bidding.
He said the new ship is estimated to cost around $237 million and about 90 percent of that money is expected to come from the federal government through Alaska’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan or STIP.
“That is the mechanism by which all projects compete for those federal funding dollars. … That provides millions of dollars for the State of Alaska for federal aid projects. Highway projects, marine highway projects, dock replacement projects,” Neussl said.
The rest of the money would come from the state. He said the vessel is listed among the projects seeking STIP funding but it’s listed in fiscal year 2019.
“Which is quite a ways down the road. Our job now is to pull that forward through the amendment process to get it funded through that process and out for construction … hopefully sooner rather than later. That’s where the project currently stands,” said Neussl.
Neussl said once the new ferry is built, the old Tustumena will be sold to either continue sailing under a new owner or it will be used for scrap.
