The sole ferry that serves Pelican and other small communities in much of Southeast Alaska was towed to Juneau over the weekend following engine trouble.
Shannon McCarthy, spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, said the MV LeConte began experiencing engine loss and other issues on Saturday when traveling from Hoonah to Kake.
“They did get towed back to Juneau, and they arrived back at Auke Bay in Juneau around 7 to 8 a.m. and have been troubleshooting the engines up to this point,” she said.
The 235-foot ferry was built in 1974 — more than 50 years ago. McCarthy said they are using some spare parts from the Tustumena ferry and hope to have the LeConte up and running by late week.
“It’s kind of one of those great things about having ships that are really similar. We always have a spare part,” she said.
For small communities like Pelican — about 60 nautical miles from Sitka — the LeConte is vital.
Pelican Mayor Patty Phillips said the LeConte only travels to the community of about 90 year-round residents just two times per month during the summer, one time per month in the fall, and never during the winter.
“We really rely on the LeConte to bring materials, supplies, people in and out of the community,” Phillips said. “Thankfully, the Alaska Marine Highway System has been providing backup service when the LeConte hasn’t been operational. But we really rely on that drive on/drive off service that the LeConte provides to our community.”
Pelican is a fishing community. Since the early 1940s, they’ve processed and sold commercially harvested salmon, halibut, and black cod or sablefish. They also cater to charter fishermen who come through during the summer months.
Phillips said Pelican doesn’t have a dock that can handle the state’s new “Alaska-class” ferries, and until the community builds one, they rely on the LeConte. The community currently has a $23 million-dollar ferry terminal replacement project in the works to accommodate all AMHS ferries.
“When we have product that gets frozen here and has to get to markets nationwide and internationally, we need to get it out of here. And ideally, it works best on the LeConte,” Phillips said.
McCarthy said staff are “hustling” to get the LeConte up and running for the Klondike Road Relay race this weekend in Skagway. She said five vessels are already full.
If the ferry isn’t fixed soon, she said they will continue to contract service with catamarans to get people to and fro. On Wednesday, the LeConte’s route was replaced by the Goldbelt catamaran.
