At one time, three Seattle shipping companies operated 20 cargo ships between WA and Alaska. When we were making our WA tour, the second of the three announced that they were closing down, leaving only Coastal Transportation with a fleet of eight boats to service the small Alaska fishing villages. Changes in the way that fish are caught and distributed directly to worldwide customers rather than being distributed through Seattle, left Western Pioneer with plenty of outbound freight but little return business.
Peter Strong, owner of Coastal, will add some of Western’s communities to his stops but, “federal shipping rules effectively prevent Coastal from continuing service to three villages in southeast Alaska.” Gustavus (population 429), Pelican (163) and Tenakee Springs (104) will be left without regular service, having to depend upon air or sporadic smaller boats.
It’s another example of the Law of Unintended Consequences. I’m sure that some law was set up years ago to protect someone, but the result in 2005 is that three small, struggling towns will be left in the lurch.
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