KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska marine highway ferry is ready to hit the water again after wasted steel found in a routine overhaul took it out of commission in March.
The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports the Tustumena will leave the Ketchikan shipyard on or around Friday. The ferry is expected to make its first stop in Kodiak on Wednesday.
It is one of two Alaska Marine Highway System ferries serving Kodiak.
Marine Highway System public information officer Aurah Landau says the Tustumena’s repairs to steel in the car deck and engine room should last until its replacement is completed in about four years.
Officials are planning to schedule the Kennicott ferry in the spring to make sure island communities are taken care of, regardless of the Tustumena’s status.
