The Alaska Marine Highway system is accepting reservations for service to Prince Rupert, B.C., from June through September 2022. The M/V Matanuska will visit the port twice monthly. Customers can make reservations online at www.FerryAlaska.com, or can call the AMHS reservations center at (800) 642-0066. The Alaska Marine Highway System will continue working to add Prince Rupert service to the schedule for May 2022 but can’t open those dates to reservations at this time.
Ryan Anderson, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said:
“I’m pleased to announce that through our department’s efforts over the past two years, we can restore the Prince Rupert-Alaska connection. Prince Rupert is a valuable mainland link for Alaska, and we intend to keep it open for travelers in the years to come.”
Prince Rupert is the final stop on Canada’s east-west Highway 16, and about 900 road-miles northwest of Bellingham, Washington. The community is 91 nautical miles southeast of Ketchikan or approximately 6 hours by ferry. Prince Rupert was the original southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway from 1963 until AMHS extended the route to Seattle in 1967.
Service was ended in October 2019 when the U.S. Customs and Border Protection began requiring a Canadian law enforcement presence to protect CBP’s personnel in Prince Rupert while inspection tasks were performed. AMHS, during that time, pursued avenues for local law enforcement, but couldn’t secure staff necessary to fulfill the requirement. In addition to that, the COVID-19 pandemic stalled efforts to restore the connection.
