(KETCHIKAN, Alaska)–The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) 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 FerryAlaska.com, or may call the AMHS reservations call center at (800) 642-0066.  AMHS will continue working to add Prince Rupert service to the schedule for May 2022, but cannot open those dates to reservations at this time.

“I’m pleased to announce that through our department’s efforts over the past two years, we can restore the Prince Rupert-Alaska connection,” said Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) Commissioner Ryan Anderson. “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 last stop on Canada’s east-west Highway 16, 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 its route to Seattle in 1967.

AMHS ended service to Prince Rupert in October 2019 when the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began requiring a Canadian law enforcement presence to protect CBP’s personnel in Prince Rupert while inspection tasks were performed. AMHS pursued all avenues for local law enforcement but could not secure the staff necessary to fulfill the requirement. While the COVID-19 pandemic stalled efforts to restore the Prince Rupert connection, AMHS continued discussions with the U.S. CBP and the Canada Border Services Agency.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 237 airports, 10 ferries serving 35 communities along 3,500 of marine miles, over 5,600 miles of highway and 776 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

# # #

  ferry, matanuska, prince rupert, reservations, service, summer