Matanuska return to service delayed by repairs

Repairs to one of Southeast’s primary public ferries will take longer than anticipated.

Alaska Marine Highway System reported the M/V Matanuska may not return to service until February 20, 10 days later than initially expected. Taken offline on January 3, the ship is currently in Ketchikan for its annual maintenance overhaul.

“During that process they found some steel that needs to be replaced before it can return,” explained Department of Transportation and Public Facilities spokesperson Meadow Bailey.

The delay has affected scheduling for some passengers, necessitating reroutes and other acc...