Mechanical issues interrupt southeast Alaska ferry schedule

KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Marine Highway System says mechanical issues will keep the Alaska state ferry Matanuska out of service until Feb. 7. The Ketchikan Daily News reports the Matanuska is the only mainline state ferry presently operating in southeast Alaska. Its next scheduled sailing is a Feb. 7 northbound departure from Ketchikan to Wrangell. The Matanuska outage affects ferry service between southeast Alaska and Bellingham,Washington. The most recent northbound sailing from Washington departed Bellingham on Jan. 23. The next scheduled southbound sailing from Ketchikan to Bellingham is at 3 p.m. Feb. 10. Mechanical issues on the Matanuska popped up last week in Bellingham.