State parks ferry for 1 week due to lack of crew

The state ferry Tustumena was tied up in Homer for several days last week, lacking enough crew to operate.

Due to crew shortages, the Tustumena’s sailings were canceled as of July 26, and were scheduled to resume seven days later on Tuesday, according to an announcement from the Alaska Marine Highway System.

“A critical crew shortage required the vessel to stay in port for safety reasons,” the state reported July 28.

“We ran out of stewards,” Alaska Department of Transportation Commissioner Ryan Anderson said during a presentation to the Juneau Chamber of Commerce last week. “Those crews have been working hard. The captain made the call that due to safety he wanted to do that.”

Also due to crew shortages, “food and beverage service on the Tustumena will be suspended until further notice,” the state’s July 28 announcement said.

The ship has been operating with a “small but dedicated” crew in Southwest Alaska since July 16, Sam Dapcevich, state Transportation Department spokesman, told Juneau radio station KINY last week. The ferry serves Homer, Kodiak, and a monthly run out the Aleutian Islands.

Due to insufficient numbers of replacement staff, the ship has not been able to backfill essential positions that are vacant due to illness or other reasons. Staffing shortages have been a problem throughout the Alaska Marine Highway System since last year.

The system has been offering hiring bonuses and is paying an Anchorage-based recruitment firm $5,000 for every new hire.