Nearly a decade after construction on it started and a month after it was put into service, the 280-foot-long Hubbard ferry was officially christened as the newest vessel in the Alaska Marine Highway System’s fleet on Monday in Juneau.

The Hubbard — first envisioned in 2006 as part of a project to shuttle passengers between Juneau, Haines and Skagway — has experienced plenty of rough waters before a couple dozen attendees boarded it for its christening during a stormy day at the AMHS terminal in Juneau. Initial construction was completed in 2018, but it remained out of service for more than four years until crew quarters were added in order to meet employee working hours requirements.

“OK, she’s been through a couple of modifications since she came off the line,” said state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Juneau Democrat who was one of the featured speakers at the christening. “But that’s what we do in Alaska, we adapt. Sometimes we reinvent, we always look for a better way to do it, or a more effective or efficient way to do it. And I think that’s something that Hubbard represents.”

The state’s ferry system has gone through a series of struggles in recent years due to budget cuts, vessel availability and workforce shortages. Kiehl said the Hubbard, which is providing service between the three northern panhandle communities six times a week, is a key step toward reviving the ferry’s role as “an absolutely essential piece of our infrastructure.”

“Today we celebrate another vessel, another piece of that system that is going to bring more frequent, more efficient and more reliable service for all those people,” he said. “This is one of the things government does right and needs to keep doing.”

The ceremonial breaking of champagne across the bow of the Hubbard was performed by First Lady Rose Dunleavy, whose husband, Gov. Mike Dunleavy, has been subject to considerable criticism for his cuts to the ferry system after he was first elected in 2018. The ferry system remained among the lowest-scoring functions in the state’s infrastructure report card last year, but Rose Dunleavy said her experience growing up in the remote village Noorvik allows her to understand the need residents in coastal communities have for the ferry system.

“I was raised in a small town that relied heavily on our airport, and our primary connection of goods and services and outside medical care,” she said. “The marine highway serves small rural communities in much the same way. It connects them to the economy, connects Alaskans to their neighbors and allows access to the rest of the state via roads or planes.”

The ferry system got a significant boost with a $285 million federal allocation from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to modernize and replace vessels and infrastructure during the next five years. Meanwhile, Ryan Anderson, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, said during Monday’s ceremony officials are moving available employees and resources within his department around to where they’re most needed, including putting the Hubbard into service.

“We’ve been going and taking resources from other parts of the state, and focusing them down here to get these things done,” he said. “Because there’s a lot of challenges all over the state and we want to make sure we put energy where it’s needed.”

The Hubbard is named after the Hubbard Glacier, located about 35 miles north of Yakutat, with Taylor Thompson, a high school student,suggesting the name as the winner of a statewide essay contest in 2016. It is the 14th vessel in the AMHS fleet and, in addition to features found on other vessels such as a heated solarium and cafeteria-style dining area, includes some modern-era additions.

“When you look at the sheet on the ship’s status it talks about things like having ample power outlets and workspaces,” Anderson said. “You understand what a big deal that is. We actually have a new thing on this vessel called Starlink, or the internet system, that we’re testing out. There’s only a few vessels and we’re still testing it out, but that’s a huge game changer for AMHS being able to communicate.”

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.