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Post by Name Omitted on Dec 7, 2017 13:12:55 GMT -8
The State of Alaska has released new photos of the Tazlina. Alaska Class Ferry ProjectClick on the diagram that says "In Place" over and over again for a slideshow.
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Post by Name Omitted on Nov 27, 2017 22:00:12 GMT -8
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MV Taku
Nov 2, 2017 6:03:07 GMT -8
via mobile
Post by Name Omitted on Nov 2, 2017 6:03:07 GMT -8
Why would the Goundars not be taken seriously? Well, if you think you are bidding on a functioning ship, you probably should not be outbid by the breakers. This was not a serious bid, it was a placeholder in case they got lucky and no one else bid. I suspect if they had won, they would be scrambling to figure out what to do next.
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Post by Name Omitted on Oct 30, 2017 8:12:54 GMT -8
The Mat is on her way to Portland for her re-powering.
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MV Taku
Sept 20, 2017 5:38:38 GMT -8
Post by Name Omitted on Sept 20, 2017 5:38:38 GMT -8
This is fantastic.
It's also telling that the Fiji option was outbid by the scrappers.
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Post by Name Omitted on Aug 23, 2017 10:37:16 GMT -8
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Post by Name Omitted on Aug 15, 2017 10:43:45 GMT -8
Trump’s transportation plans may cause trouble for Marine HighwayThe Tusty replacement would require at least 75 waivers for Buy American rules for pieces that are not built within the United States. Those wavers would be approved by someone the Trump Administration has yet to appoint. Somehow, I am not expecting a resolution for the Prince Rupert dock anytime soon, either.
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Post by Name Omitted on Aug 11, 2017 13:04:20 GMT -8
Since the Mat is being repowered, Columbia will continue sailing, and winter is coming.
I have a photo request for those of you in Southeast or in BC. If you can get a picture of our sweet summer ship sailing through a snowy inside passage, please do.
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Post by Name Omitted on Aug 11, 2017 13:00:22 GMT -8
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Post by Name Omitted on Aug 7, 2017 15:51:45 GMT -8
Buried in our belated capitol budget is Alaska's portion of the Tusty replacement. We should start to see some real forward motion on this soon.
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Post by Name Omitted on Jul 19, 2017 14:45:13 GMT -8
AMHS measures their boats' vehicle capacities by how many 'standard sized Alaska' vehicles can be squeezed on. I wonder how 'Alaska sized' is defined. 10' by 20'. It is larger than most private vehicles, but smaller than freezer vans. I don't know how they came to that designation, but there is a footnote in the Day Boat ACF study that indicates that the Alaska Class was looking at having narrower lanes (2@8', 2@8.5' and one @10').
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Post by Name Omitted on Jul 19, 2017 14:38:22 GMT -8
The draft fall schedule is out, and can be viewed here.This winter will provide a unique opportunity for all you photographers out there. With the Mat being re-powered this winter (YAY!) and the Taku down and out (sigh), the Columbia will be doing the Bellingham run this winter. Bonus points to anyone who gets good winter shots of her. ( Starsteward, thank you for your reply, I've been away from the internet)
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Post by Name Omitted on Jun 28, 2017 13:03:40 GMT -8
A quick update for anyone using the AMHS, the State has a budget, the ships will continue their schedule. Come on up and join us!
Well... give or take a few Columbia sailings, of course.
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Post by Name Omitted on Jun 18, 2017 9:51:19 GMT -8
PS. 'Kevin', I too have a soft spot for your beloved 'Taku' as I was a crew member on the Queen of Prince Rupert, and recall going to the aid of the 'Taku' when she managed to get herself entangled on the rocks and fir trees of West Kinahan Island, July 29, 1970. Thank you for that. You did a good job; she's still with us. I keep telling myself that being sold for scrap after 50 years is, in a sense, the ultimate victory for a ship and her builders. It means that at the end of the day, she got her crew and passengers home safely until the last (give or take a sailing in 1970). That does not mean that Stan Roger's "Last Watch" does not go through my head with every headline. I've seen pictures of your rescue, and have often wounded... did you clear all of the cars to lighten her, or leave some of the cars on the up-land side to prevent a roll? I share your ultimate hope for the system. The Alaska Railroad, due to it's state corporation status, runs its own books and is therefore not facing a shutdown, and ultimately has the ability for long-range planning that the AMHS does not enjoy. The saga of our fast ferries are a perfect example of how our system could benift with some insulation from Juneau. One governor purchased them with a specific fleet plan that successive governors never really tried. The question as to the wisdom of their purchase becomes secondary to the inability for the system to build and stick to a long range capitol plan, which is essential when purchasing durable goods. As for operating their own books, there are several forms of revenue the ferry system could be looking into, if they could keep their profits. You may recall we shut down the bars on-board. They were a money looser for the system, since the cost of maintain them came out of the AMHS operating budget while the revenue from them went into the State's general fund. These is the sorts of things that will be fixed in the coming years by just about any change in the governance of the system. While you are right in that I am feeling a good deal of short term angst, you are also right to reference the coming rainbow. However, with the state shutting down in 2 weeks, and the House and Senate not even having a framework of a budget to agree on, well... the rainbow comes when the sunlight finally gets through the clouds.
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Post by Name Omitted on Jun 16, 2017 8:55:15 GMT -8
I've not been posting, beacuse frankly it's been so depressing. Tusty's missed sailings, Columbia's late return to service, by beloved Taku... the possibility that the whole system may get laid up on July 1. BUT, progress is moving forward on designing a ferry system for the future. If you want to be a part, go to www.amhsreform.com.
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Post by Name Omitted on Mar 15, 2017 15:29:03 GMT -8
Really? Um... does anyone know if we have moved forward with building a birth that the Tazlena can nose into yet?
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Post by Name Omitted on Mar 15, 2017 12:55:30 GMT -8
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Post by Name Omitted on Mar 11, 2017 7:29:29 GMT -8
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Post by Name Omitted on Feb 1, 2017 7:19:14 GMT -8
Taku going through the state surplus process, which means if there is a municipality or borough who wants her, she's up for grabs. Who wants the state ferry Taku?
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Post by Name Omitted on Jan 4, 2017 12:34:35 GMT -8
The AMHS has an update to their Alaska Class Ferry website. If you click on the diagram of what has been built, it will take you through to a slide-show.
Apropos, it appears that the bow thruster is aimed in one direction, which makes sense from a mechanical point of view. Is there a difference between that prop in "forward" or "reverse?" Can a pilot on this board tell me if bow thrusters on ships have a tendency to work better going starboard of port (depending on how the thruster is installed on the specific ship)?
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Post by Name Omitted on Jan 4, 2017 9:43:29 GMT -8
Nor should they. Connecting SE Alaska to the road system is our responsibility. That being said, I have little sentimentality as to how that is arranged, be it on our metal or BC's.
My question was, based on the wild hypothetical that the AMHS were willing to arrange some-sort of code-share with BC Ferries that would make it worthwhile for the latter (not a political reality), would the BC Ferry system have the spare capacity to add a weekly sailing to Ketchikan?
I don't foresee the deadlock about the US purchasing non US made steel likely to go away under the incoming US administration.
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Post by Name Omitted on Jan 3, 2017 14:14:39 GMT -8
Considering how our fleet is being re-organized, and seeing as how we are losing SOLAS compliant Taku, is there a surplus SOLAS compliant BC Ferry that we the AMHS can subsidize that could dock at the AMHS terminal in Ketchikan?
We release our 50 year lease and give BC Ferries a lump sum to subsidize the run, clear customs en-route as if it were a train thereby reducing the need for the old dock entirely since the ship does not need to be in a customs-secure berth. Any further improvements needed for the dock are folded into the operating subsidy for the run, and vola, the US need no longer care where the Canadians source their steel.
In a hypothetical world, is there surplus capacity within the BC Ferry system to do this?
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Post by Name Omitted on Nov 25, 2016 8:43:02 GMT -8
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Post by Name Omitted on Nov 23, 2016 7:24:28 GMT -8
Report: Ferry system should become state-owned corporationEssentially, the State would own the hardware and operate it through a state-run corporation. This would free the AMHS from frequent changes in strategic direction that happen in a political body, and give the new corporation direct negotiating power with its labor groups (as opposed to all such negotiation going through he Alaska Division of Administration). The State has successful experience with such a model in the form of the Alaska Railroad. A quick look at the report (which I have not had time to read) indicates that unlike the Railroad, DOT would retain ownership of the vessels so as not to endanger access to federal capitol funds. As an aside, having not yet read the report, I suspect that this would allow for gift shops and bars to return to the AMHS. Our State Constitution forbids dedicated funds not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, and so all revenue from such activity went directly to the States general fund for re-appropriation. A bartender on board was paid for as an AMHS staff member, and the proceeds from the bar did not go into the AMHS fund. There was, therefore, no financial benefit to the AMHS to seek such additional revenue. This would not necessarily be true in the case of a state owned corporation. Anyhow, the full report can be found at: AMHS GOVERNANCE STUDY: Phase 1 Final Draft Report
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Post by Name Omitted on Nov 17, 2016 10:14:43 GMT -8
Slight reduction in service system wide, an additional 7th day of Lynn Canal service, and tariff increases. Nothing shocking or surprising.
As an aside, since the word tariff comes from the name of the Spanish town that first started charging warfage fees, shouldn't the word itself be capitalized?
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