Alaska’s state ferry system continues to face stiff headwinds when it comes to staffing, state officials say.
Alaska Marine Highway officials say they’re struggling to attract and retain workers, especially licensed staff.
AMHS Marine Director Craig Tornga told House committees last week that the ferry system hasn’t been able to offer a seven-ship schedule since the pandemic, and when it comes to engineers and deck officers, he said the situation is getting worse, not better.
"In the licensed officers, both in the engine room and in the wheelhouse, we're going the wrong direction right now, unfortunately," he said. "We're not making as many as we need, and through the retirements and going to the pilots, we've been going the wrong direction."
The Marine Highway System is nearly 10% short of the minimum number of masters and mates it needs to run a full fleet, Tornga said. Add in a cushion in case crewmembers get sick, injured or take leave, and the ferry system is 30% short of its target number of officers. It’s a similar story for licensed engineers and lower-ranking deck crew.
And even among the deck officers the ferry system does have, Tornga said it is still short 31 officers with full pilotage, a qualification for navigating Alaska’s tricky tides and rocky shores that takes years to obtain.
Tornga said the state is working on new ways to help build the ranks of certified pilots: He told lawmakers the Marine Highway is working on a plan that would pay lower-ranking officers a partial salary to do ride-alongs on their way to getting pilotage.
But for now, Tornga said the Alaska Marine Highway System is serving as something of a "farm system" for other maritime employers — like, say, cruise ships, who’ve hired ferry workers away from the state.
"It's just the nature of our market here with the cruise ship growth — where are you going to get them? You know, there's a lot of guys that are qualified with pilotage over at AMHS," he said.
Pay and working conditions are major struggles in recruiting and retention, Tornga said. For one example, masters working for Washington’s state ferry system can earn a full 25% more than they can in Alaska, and unlike their Alaska colleagues, they can go home to their families every night, he said.
Tornga also told lawmakers the ferry system would not run its popular cross-gulf route between Southcentral and Southeast Alaska this summer because the ferry Kennicott is in layup for upgrades.
The cross-gulf route hasn't made the schedule for years, he said. But there's demand: When the ferry system tried to make a run last year before mechanical issues forced them to cancel, Alaskans rushed to make reservations, Tornga said.
"When we put that on the schedule, the deck sold out, like, in two days," he said.
