b'MEMBER NEWSAMHS Vessel Received Certificate of Inspection and Set Sail from JuneauP VAmemberAlaskaMarinedeck, and the extension of the existingMikeDunleavy.Revitalizingthe HighwaySystem(AMHS)port stair tower to the bridge deck. fleetisimportanttothelong-term recentlyannouncedthatthehealthoftheMarineHighway,and U.S.CoastGuardgrantedtheM/VWiththeadditionofcrewquarters,thecommunitiesitserves.Ipleased Hubbard its Certificate of Inspectionthevessel,oneoftwoAlaskaClassweve taken another step toward that.(COI), marking a significant achieve- Ferries,hasanexpandedoperating mentforthevesselandhercrew.rangewhichsignificantlyenhancesAllAMHSferriesarenamedafter This certification allows Hubbard tosystem-wide flexibility and redundan- Alaska glaciers and the Hubbard is no commence revenue service, beginningcy, improving the overall reliability ofexception. Its name is in tribute to the its first operational year since it wasthe Alaska Marine Highway System. Hubbard Glacier 35 miles north of Ya-delivered in 2019. kutat and was selected through a state-AddingcrewquarterstotheHub- wide essay contest held in 2016, where TheHubbardwilloperateinLynnbard gives us flexibility in the AMHSTaylorThompson,anEagleRiver Canalsixdaysaweekthissum- fleet, allowing the ship to sail to moreHigh School sophomore, emerged as mer,withsailingsbetweenJuneau,portswhenneeded,saidGovernorthe contests winner.Haines, and Skagway. The vessel was scheduled to leave Juneau on May 23 withapproximately60passengers, and 21 vehicles.BringingtheHubbardintoservice for Alaskans has been a long-term goal of the department, said Department ofTransportationandPublicFacili-tiesCommissionerRyanAnderson. The team at AMHS made this hap-pen. I want to thank them for all their hard work in making the Hubbard an active member of the fleet.Utilizing the Hubbard in Lynn Canal allowsAMHStoleveragetheM/V LeConte, increasing service frequency for other communities in the North-ern Panhandle.TheHubbardrecentlyunderwent a$15millionprojectaddingcrew quarters to the vessel. Upgrades also includedtheinstallationofagalley, scullery, and mess spaces on the upper deck, a new fan room on the bridge(360) 457-5752sales@brixmarine.com43 JUNE 2023'