Derecktor to Build Second Ferry for Alaska

Derecktor Shipyards will construct another high-speed ferry for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). This ferry, to be named the M/V Chenga, is the second of a two-vessel contract worth a total of $67.98 Million. In February of 2002 Derecktor Shipyards was awarded the contract to design and build two high-speed passenger & automobile ferries as the first phase of Alaska’s plans to re-tool its regional water transportation system with fast, modern, efficient, environmentally-friendly vessels.

The M/V Chenega will sail in the Prince William Sound area of south-central Alaska, connecting the ports of Cordova, Valdez, and Whittier. The first vessel, the M/V Fairweather, will connect the port of Sitka and Juneau in southeast Alaska. Designed by the naval architecture firm of Nigel Gee & Associates, of Southampton, England, each of the vessels is 235 ft. (72 m) long, carries 250 passengers and 35 cars (or a combination of cars, trucks, and RVs), and travels at speeds up to 36 knots (41 miles per hour) The vessels employ a catamaran (twin-hull) design of lightweight aluminum construction. They are powered by four MTU medium-speed diesel engines, each driving a Kamewa waterjet propulsor. The construction for the M/V Chenega will be held at Derecktor Shipyards on Thursday January 30, with officials from the State of Alaska on hand for the official commencement ceremony.