(SitNews) Juneau, Alaska - The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) announced today that last week the AMHS issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather details from marine charter companies about the services they can provide.

According to a news release from the Alaska Department of Transportation, the AMHS is working with the responding companies to establish options for interim passenger and freight service for the Northern Panhandle in the near future. Once dates are set, AMHS will work with communities to give them enough time to plan.

The Request for Information (RFI) was issued to identify companies that could provide service after Alaska Marine Highway System vessels were "unexpectedly" sidelined, quoting a news release. The aging fleet of ferries requires more costly and time-consuming repairs.

The AMHS 2020 Spring/Summer schedule was released last month for public comment. The scheduling team is reviewing community feedback and the schedule is currently being finalized.

Quoting the DOT news release, the Alaska Marine Highway System works to meet the unique needs of communities where possible, and the final schedule is expected to be released at the end of February. AMHS anticipates that the updated Spring/Summer service will include special runs to accommodate the Cordova fishery.

The Tazlina is scheduled to return to service on March 5, and the Matanuska is anticipated to return to service on March 2, 2020.

On the Web:

Schedules are available at http://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/.

Edited By Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

Alaska Department of Transportation
www.dot.state.ak.us

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