M/V Susitna expected for service by this fall

The 195-foot M/V Susitna ferry headed for the Cook Inlet was launched at the Ketchikan Shipyard on Wednesday. The catamaran — capable of carrying 130 people and 20 vehicles — is expected to offer passenger service as early as this fall from Port MacKenzie. As for vehicle service, that may take awhile until a facility to handle loading cars is built at the port.

There have been some who wonder how effective the ferry can be in moving commuters from here to Anchorage and back. But there are more plans for the ship. It will also be available for rescue operations sorely needed in the Inlet. Anchorage has hovercraft, but those have been criticized for their lack of dependability.

The Susitna will benefit other communities as well.

Occasional trips to Tyonek will help that area be less reliant on plane service to bring in groceries, small equipment and other supplies. While the trip to Tyonek won’t be a daily route, those folks probably will look forward to another way to get supplies on a regular basis.

There are several construction projects planned in that area that could also keep the ferry busy now and in the future.

There’s even talk about the ferry going as far south as Kenai. Borough officials here say there is great interest in service in that direction. That sure would keep a few more sleepy drivers off the Seward Highway come salmon season. Tourists might take a trip like that as well.

The Navy is more interested in how the ferry performs in Cook Inlet’s varying conditions. It is apparently a scale-model for a larger ship the Navy is thinking about building.

Among the ferry’s features includes it being able to travel in shallow water for loading and unloading, and then hit high speed in deep water with its available 1,600 horsepower. It also has ice-breaking capability.

A lot of people will be watching to see how the Susitna performs over the years. It was called unique by the shipbuilders in Ketchikan because of the many tasks it can perform. The ferry could be a prototype for communities around the world.

That’s why, after a lot of questioning in the past about the ferry’s usefulness, we hope it makes a hit here as well as benefiting other Alaska communities within its reach.