Alaska Marine Highway System to boost fleet with hybrid newbuild

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm Glosten has been selected to develop the design for a diesel-electric hybrid ferry for the Alaska Marine Highway System. 

This low-emissions shuttle ferry will be designed to work in southeast Alaskan ports.

Seattle-headquartered Glosten said the vessel will be equipped with a hybrid propulsion system, which will allow it to operate on diesel fuel and/or shoreside electrical power stored in onboard batteries. The passenger and vehicle ferry will be funded by the Federal Transit Administration and will be compliant with ’Buy America’ requirements. 

Glosten said in a statement on LinkedIn, “We’re honoured to support the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities and the Southeast Conference in advancing sustainable marine transport and strengthening connections between coastal communities.” 

The company added that the preliminary design is near completion, with the contract design phase scheduled to be completed by mid-2026.

The Alaska Marine Highway System is modernising its fleet with new, efficient vessels. The last vessels to be added to its fleet include 85-m Alaska-class ferries Hubbard (2023) and Tazlina (2019). Plans include building six hybrid-electric ferries over the next 20 years to replace ageing vessels, with an all-electric ferry replacing Lituya by 2027.