MV Chenega

M/V Chenega is a fast ferry catamaran and the newest vessel in the Alaska Marine Highway System.

M/V Chenega at Sitka, 2009
History
Name: M/V Chenega
Namesake: Chenega Glacier, Prince William Sound, Alaska
Owner: Alaska Marine Highway System
Port of registry:  United States
Builder: Derecktor Shipyards, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Laid down: 2004
Launched: 2005
Commissioned: 2005
Homeport: Cordova, Alaska
Identification:
Status: Laid up, Ward Cove, Alaska
General characteristics
Displacement: 748 long tons (760 t)
Length: 235 ft (72 m)
Beam: 60 ft (18 m)
Draft: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) loaded
Decks: One vehicle deck
Ramps: Aft and starboard ro-ro loading
Propulsion: 4 diesel engines and water jets, 15,360 hp (11,454 kW)
Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Capacity:
  • 250 passengers
  • 36 vehicles

The M/V Chenega was built by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2004 and 2005 and came into service in the latter year. It is powered by four diesel engines and water jets for a service speed of 32 knots which is similar to her sister ship, the M/V Fairweather.

The Chenega's amenities include a small movie lounge, rear observation deck/solarium and cafeteria.

As of 2017, the Chenega has been permanently laid up due to reductions in Marine Highway service.[1]

Route

The Chenega ran into controversy from virtually the day it came into service. The Chenega had long been promised to service Prince William Sound year-round, and starting in the summer of 2005, however it came into service later than scheduled and the state of Alaska soon reneged on its promise for full-time Prince William Sound service and transferred the Chenega to its current route between Ketchikan and Petersburg with occasional stops in Wrangell for the winter. The new plan is to have the Chenega run this Southeast Alaska route in the winter and then transfer the ferry up to Prince William Sound in the summer. This is especially controversial because unlike feeder and mainline ferry vessels, the fast ferries only operate in the day thus their crews live in their homeports offering additional economic stimulus to its host community. Because of this, Cordova, the Chenega's Prince William Sound home, was especially outraged after the decision to transfer the boat to Ketchikan. In the winter, the M/V Aurora takes the Chenega's place running the Prince William Sound route.

References
  1. AMHS focus of SE Conference. Bowman, Nick. Ketchikan Daily News, 25 February 2017
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