With AMHS Winter plans now under review, Prince Rupert remains off the Destination Board for Alaskan Ferry System

The lanes to the Alaska Marine Highway Terminal at Fairview Bay 
will remain free of traffic for a little bit longer, with the Alaska Marine
Highway Service continuing to suspend its travels to and from Prince Rupert

While the topic of ferry travel between Prince Rupert and Ketchikan is a moot point during the current border closing between Canada and the United States, once those restrictions are lifted, it may be a while before Prince Rupert sees the familiar Blue and gold ships docked at the AMHS Fairview Terminal.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities released its 2020 Winter Operating Plan for the Alaska Marine Highway Service on Monday, with the Alaska Government making note of the impact of COVID on their financial situation and highlighting how the proposed level of service for the winter months from October to April 2021 will be based on existing funding that is in place.

That a nod towards the larger issue of securing reliable funding for operations, a topic that has made for much controversy for our neighbours to the north.

As for the draft plan for service for that October 2020 to April 2021 period, among the notes from the plan now available for review by the public is a note that Service to Prince Rupert remains on hold indefinitely.

More background on the Draft Review for the Winter service can be explored here. The deadline for public comment related to their operation plans is August 14th. 

We last took note as to how the AMHS was moving on its plans for a return to Prince Rupert back in April, observing at that time that the arrival of COVID in North America had provided for a significant delay in resolving some of the original issues that suspended the service in the first place.

Those being the requirement for an armed police presence in Prince Rupert for sailings for the AMHS route, as well as the need for renovation work for the terminal facility and docks.

The last sailing to and from Prince Rupert for the AMHS took place in October of 2019.

No updates have been provided by the Alaska Government to date on either of those issues, you can review some of the background to the suspension of service from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.