Alaska Marine Highway System: A highway system…for boats

   Where we are in the world

Alaska is disconnected from the rest of the continental USA by the Canadian province of British Columbia, because of this there was no road connection between Alaska and the “lower 48”. Still today there isn’t a physical road connection, but the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) provides that link!

The system connects northern Washington State to more than 30 Alaskan ports in the Southeast, South and Southwest portions of the state. While transporting goods between communities is a benefit, one of the primary purposes of the service is to provide an affordable connection for people.

For more maps on transportation routes, see posts on Teleférico do Alemão in Rio de Janeiro and Mi Teleférico in La Paz, Bolivia!

See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!

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   Three key facts

Travelling from Bellingham to Dutch Harbor would take more than 170 hours of sailing

The most-direct route from Bellingham, Washington (the first port) and Dutch Harbor/Unalaska (the last port) would take more than 7 days of sailing – not including time spent at intermediary ports. Overall, the entire AMHS system covers more than 3,500 miles.

Clearly, journeys on the Alaska Marine Highway System are meant to last for days, not hours. Because of this, there are small cabins that passengers can book for multi-day journeys.

There are only 4 ships that operate all “mainline” routes throughout Alaska

Despite the vast distance that the AMHS covers, there are only 4 ships that provide service on the mainline routes, which are typically the busiest. These ships are massive (larger than what you would think of as a typical “ferry”) and include individual cabins, observation decks, cafeterias and vehicles. The largest vessel in the fleet, MV Columbia, can carry up to 500 passengers and up to 133 vehicles.

Across the fleet, there are 5 additional boats that provide feeder or day service, intended for quick “out-and-back” journeys to select Alaskan communities. There is one additional ship that is currently in maintenance (MV Malaspina) awaiting nearly $16 million in upgrades.

AMHS is not profitable and received more than $100 million in funding to sustain operations in 2021

As with many conversations about budget and government, the issue with funding the AMHS is contentious. Operating a fleet of 10 ships, hiring staff for operations on-ship and at the 30+ ports across the state is expensive. Revenues are not enough to sustain operations:

• In 2019, revenue was $51 million primarily from ticket sales
• In 2020, revenue dropped to $29 million, primarily due to COVID-19
• In both years, expenditures were close to, or surpassing, $100 million

While there is clear economic value provided to communities in the form of jobs from operating the system to the number of tourists that use the AMHS and bring spending into the state, some believe that money spent on the system would be better spent elsewhere in the state. This seems to be an ongoing debate in the state and will impact not only tourism, but far-flung Alaskan communities serviced by the AMHS.

Note: the above map includes only the “mainline routes” and ports of the AMHS; there are many other “day boat” and “shuttle” routes that connect even more Alaskan cities to the “lower 48”

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    Additional links and sources

• Official website of the AMHS, with info on fleet, routes, revenues, operating expenses, and funding (link)
• Funding provided to the AMHS (link, published in 2021)
• Policy paper outlining potential future of the AMHS (link, published in 2021)

Have you ever travelled on the AMHS before?

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  See other places around the world Globe Charting has featured!

Including another location in Alaska: the Diomede Islands!