Ferry officials ‘hopeful’ – but not certain – they’ll have enough crew for seven-ship summer schedule

There’s enough money in the state ferry system’s budget to run seven ships this summer, but it’s unclear whether the Alaska Marine Highway System will have enough crew to operate them.

AMHS Marine Director Craig Tornga said in an interview that the seventh ship would be the Kennicott, serving cross-Gulf routes connecting Whittier with Southeast Alaska and the community of Yakutat, which hasn’t seen a port call since the summer of 2022.

But in recent years, crew shortages have forced the ferry system to scale back its schedule. So will there be enough deckhands, stewards, engineers and captains to run all seven?

The ferry system has made some progress on expanding the ranks, especially in entry-level positions, Tornga said. But he said it’s unclear whether that’ll be enough to run a full schedule. 

“We’re challenged right now for crewing,” he said. “But thankfully, you know, we have plans, and hopeful plans, that we can operate a seventh vessel come the summer time, subject to the crewing. And thankfully, the budget supports that.”

For now, the Kennicott is scheduled to be laid up all summer pending crew. That would leave a schedule very similar to this past summer.

At a ferry operations board meeting on Dec. 1, Tornga said the ferry system had hired 42 crewmembers and lost 19 over four months. But Tornga says the ferry system is still struggling to hire U.S. Coast Guard-licensed mates, and especially, engineers.

Because of requirements that licensed mariners spend a significant time at sea, “those are hard to get,” he said.

That’s been a problem across the country. Last year, Washington State Ferries said it was facing unprecedented staff shortages. And it’s not just passenger vessels – the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard are also short on sailors.

“Everybody’s short, and so we are all competing heavily,” he said.

Tornga says he needs about 30 licensed engineers, from oilers to chief engineers. He says one priority is training lower-level engine room workers to fill those vacancies.

“We are trying to build a pipeline there. The entry position there is wipers. We have plenty of wipers, but we’ve got to continue to provide training for them to sit for their next certification, keep moving them up.

But it’s a little trickier on the bridge. A brand-new mate or captain can’t just roll in and start driving. Even if they’re already licensed, it can take years for new crewmembers to get state-mandated credentials so they’re qualified to navigate the fjords and narrows of Alaska’s coast.

Tornga said they’re trying something a little different – running the pipeline in reverse.

“We did get an agreement for some retirees to come back in and help us through this stage,” he said. “That’s been very, very appreciated, as they come with full pilotage, and they’ve helped us through some of the areas where we’re short right now.”

As of the beginning of December, Tornga said seven retirees represented by the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots had agreed to return to service.

Tornga said a decision earlier this year to centralize payroll processing for ferry workers is also helping. That followed complaints from employees about errors in their paychecks.

“That’s not the holdup it was. Now, we haven’t cleaned up the backlog, and there’s a bit of that, but they’re doing great work in trying to get through that at the same time as they’re trying to do payroll,” Tornga said.

Tornga says he’s also pushed to speed processing for new hires, especially for licensed positions.

Tornga said the ferry system wants to grow the number of Alaska high school students entering maritime careers. 

“Those are things that don’t help us today, but they’ll help us in the future, as we do find that our local hires tend to stay more than the out of state hires,” he said.

Rep. Louise Stutes (R-Kodiak), a longtime advocate for the marine highway, said crewing is a tough nut to crack.

“It’s just difficult when, in our industry here in the state, we’re paying about 30% or 40% less than the private industry is paying. It’s tough to crew up under those conditions,” Stutes said by phone.

Stutes said she’s confident that ferry managers are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

Sen. Jesse Kiehl (D-Juneau) said in a phone call that he’s pleased with the ferry system’s efforts at creating a pipeline for the future.

“I think that leadership is right on in trying to promote from within and grow our own expertise in the fleet,” he said.

Because lawmakers approved funding through the end of 2024 during the last legislative session, Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget proposal released earlier this month would provide a similar level of service in 2025 if approved by the Legislature.