"We will put the Chenega into service as soon as we can, however, given an unfavorable confluence of circumstances, it looks like that date will now be after July 1," said Robin Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Marine Transportation. "In the meantime, we are transferring any bookings during the affected time period onto the M/V Aurora. In most cases, departure times are within 15 minutes of the original Chenega schedule. Our objective is to avoid inconveniencing the traveling public as best we can."
Taylor said the main issues with the Chenega are that it arrived late from the manufacturer, and the state has not concluded labor negotiations to cover the crew specific issues of the Chenega.
"Once negotiations are finished with the three maritime unions, we will have a period of crew training in the waters around Juneau, followed by a route training period in Prince William Sound," Taylor said. "Route training requires 12 non-revenue trips to each port the vessel will call on, so that requires at least two weeks."
The Aurora, currently operating in Prince William Sound, will continue on a 24-hour per day schedule, seven days per week. It sails on a more-or-less alternating clockwise-counterclockwise schedule between Cordova, Valdez, and Whittier. The Aurora is also capable of making whistle-stops at Tatitlek and Chenega Bay, a service the Chenega will not be able to provide because the docks at those two ports are not modified to fit the fast vehicle ferry.
