Kodiak will be without ferry service until March 2

According to last year’s operating plan, the overhaul periods in the winter schedule were supposed to allow for either the Tusty or the Kennicott to be able to service Kodiak in the other ship’s absence.

“Most of Southwest Alaska — I believe almost every port — has a dock that requires a vehicle elevator,” Dapcevich said. “Then those two ships are the only ones with vehicle elevators for loading and off-loading. So, we can’t bring up a Southeast boat and have it run on those routes.”

Dapcevich said the typical overhaul period is about two months for most ferries operating on the Alaska Marine Highway System. During overhauls the ships have annual maintenance, repairs, US Coast Guard and American Bureau of Shipping inspections, and certification renewals.

The crew is also required to complete drills for the certificate of insurance needed to operate.

“We did schedule a longer Kennicott overhaul this year based on its needs,” Dapcevich said. “Part of that was also making crew available to keep the other ships operating.”

The Department of Transportation continues to experience staffing issues with vessels on the Alaska Marine Highway System, especially problems in recruitment and retention.

The staffing shortage is not unique to the ferries serving Kodiak, according to the Department of Transportation. Rather, it is a problem currently facing vessels sailing throughout the country as well as the rest of the Alaska Marine Highway System.

For most of last year, the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities was on what it described as an “aggressive hiring campaign.” It used headhunters, took part in career fairs across Alaska and Washington, and offered $5,000 signing bonuses to attract new crew members.

“We’re trying to get our crew levels up so we can meet the minimum [Certificate of Inspection requirements] to run enough vessels,” Dapcevich said. “We actually have the budget right now for Kodiak to have service.”

Matt Gruening, chief of staff for Rep. Louise Stutes’ office, said this during an interview with the Kodiak Daily Mirror: “Pretty much every community has a couple months where they don’t have service due to layups and, unfortunately, that is because we don’t have enough crew to man the vessels.”

To get an upperhand with maritime staffing, Dapcevich said DOT is continuing to offer $5,000 sign-on bonuses in addition to working at career fairs, unions and high schools to get people interested in maritime careers.

“We are looking at training opportunities to get people hired and trained right away,” Dapcevich said.

The Alaska Marine Highway System is keeping new hires working while they wait to receive certifications to work on vessels. Currently they have the biggest shortage in passenger services. But DOT is also requesting vehicle transportation services to meet the needs of Kodiak and Cook Inlet.