Alaska Marine Highway System manager resigns
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Marine Highway System needs a new manager.
Capt. Mike Neussl is leaving his post to care for an ill family member, he said.
“It’s an important job and I clearly enjoyed doing it,” Neussl said. “But it is a stressful job and these are very challenging times and it’s not been easy.”
Neussl’s departure comes on the heels of state budget cuts forcing the ferry system to reduce sailings and cut amenities, CoastAlaska News reported (http://bit.ly/2qLlA0N ).
A replacement for Neussl won’t be selected right away, Transportation Commissioner Marc Luiken said.
“I’m still working with the governor to kind of lay out the plan for leadership of the marine highway system,” he said. “But at least for the near term, we’re going to operate with the folks we have in the leadership positions.”
Stakeholders are considering alternative approaches to ferry management, including having the marine highway system change from a state agency to a public corporation.
Ferry costs have risen while the aging fleet has needed significant repairs.
Recently, the Tustumena ferry was found with extensive steel defects in its engine room. The Alaska Marine Highway System is working with the U.S. Coast Guard on a repair plan to make the 53-year-old vessel safe again.
The ferry went in for a scheduled annual overhaul mid-March and was expected to return to service May 27.
The delay impacts communities in southwest Alaska and those along the Aleutian chain.
Officials are unsure how many passengers have booked their tickets for the ferry or whether there will be a backup ferry available, they said last week.
They expect the Tustumena ferry to be ready to depart for Homer on July 18.
Neussl, a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain with 30 years of service, has been a Department of Transportation deputy commissioner for a little more than two years. He also ran the ferry system in 2011 and 2012.
Neussl’s last day on the job is scheduled for Friday.
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Information from: KTOO-FM, http://www.ktoo.org
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