M/V Taku for sale through sealed bid

JUNEAU – The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is selling the M/V Taku through a sealed bid sale. The minimum bid price is $1.5 million and interested bidders must have a bid bond of $5,000. The complete bid package is available on the state's Online Public Notice website.

ADOT&PF is selling the vessel "As Is/Where Is" to the highest bidder. The sale process involved getting Federal Highway Administration approval since federal funding was used to maintain the vessel over its lifespan.

Last month, ADOT&PF initiated

proceedings to transfer ownership of the M/V Taku by offering it to other state agencies or municipalities. No public entity expressed an interest in assuming ownership of the M/V Taku.

Interested bidders have 60 days to submit bids, inspect the vessel if desired, and arrange financing if necessary. Sealed bids must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time, on May 9, 2017. The vessel is currently at a mooring facility in Ward Cove in Ketchikan, Alaska.

The M/V Taku was determined to be excess to the needs of the state for ferry vessels and outside the realm of what the state can afford to maintain and operate in passenger service with available funding. The vessel was constructed in 1963 and faithfully operated as a part of the Alaska Marine Highway System for over 50 years. The M/V Taku was taken out of service on June 23, 2015.