(JUNEAU, Alaska) – The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Coast Guard has granted the M/V Hubbard its Certificate of Inspection (COI), marking a significant achievement for the vessel and her crew. This certification allows Hubbard to commence revenue service, beginning its first operational year since it was delivered in 2019.

The Hubbard will operate in Lynn Canal six days a week this summer, with sailings between Juneau, Haines, and Skagway. The vessel will leave Juneau on Tuesday, May 23 with approximately 60 passengers, and 21 vehicles.

“Bringing the Hubbard into service for Alaskans has been a long-term goal of the department,” said Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Commissioner Ryan Anderson. “The team at AMHS made this happen. I want to thank them for all their hard work in making the Hubbard an active member of the fleet.”

Utilizing the Hubbard in Lynn Canal allows AMHS to leverage the M/V LeConte, increasing service frequency for other communities in the Northern Panhandle.

Hubbard recently underwent a $15 million project adding crew quarters to the vessel at Vigor Shipyard in Ketchikan. The project included the addition of eight single-person staterooms on the Bridge Deck and eight two-person staterooms on the Upper Deck. Furthermore, upgrades include the installation of a galley, scullery, and mess spaces on the Upper Deck, a new fan room on the Bridge Deck, and the extension of the existing port stair tower to the Bridge Deck.

With the addition of crew quarters, the Hubbard, one of two Alaska Class Ferries, has an expanded operating range which significantly enhances system-wide flexibility and redundancy, improving the overall reliability of the Alaska Marine Highway System.

“Adding crew quarters to the Hubbard gives us flexibility in the AMHS fleet, allowing the ship to sail to more ports when needed,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy. “Revitalizing the fleet is important to the long term health of the Marine Highway, and the communities it serves. I pleased we’ve taken another step toward that.”

The vessel’s name, the Hubbard, pays tribute to the awe-inspiring Hubbard Glacier 35 miles north of Yakutat. In alignment with tradition, all AMHS ferries are named after Alaska glaciers. The name Hubbard was selected through a statewide essay contest held in 2016, where Taylor Thompson, an Eagle River High School sophomore, emerged as the contest’s winner.

For more information about the Alaska Marine Highway System, the M/V Hubbard, and the rest of the AMHS fleet, please visit FerryAlaska.com. To make reservations on the Hubbard or other AMHS vessels please book a sailing here.

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