The heavy-lift vessel Red Zed I resurfaces with the former Alaska Marine Highway System fast ferries Chenega and Fairweather on its back last Friday in Tongass Narrows in front of Ketchikan. The Amak Towing vessels Ethan B. and Jennie B. moved the 235-foot-long ferries from their moorings in Ward Cove and into the narrows, where the Red Zed I has been anchored since April 2. The 712-foot-long lift vessel submerged, allowing the ferries to climb aboard for the long voyage to their new home in the Mediterranean, where a Spanish operator will run them on short sailings to a resort island. The state sold the vessels - built at combined cost of $68 million about 20 years ago - to catamaran operator Trasmapi for just over $5 million. The state tied up the ferries several years ago to save money.
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