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Tustumena replacement design shows larger, faster ship

courtesy KBBI

The replacement vessel for the 50-year-old Trusty Tusty will cost an estimated $237 million to construct.

KBBI, Homer: The Trusty Tusty serves one of the most demanding routes in the state, with rough seas and bad weather the norm.

“The elements that the Tustumena sails in, it’s made the age of the vessel, you could say, older than it actually is," says Jeremy Woodrow, communications officer for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The Tusty entered service in 1964. That means it turned a hearty 50 years old this year. Woodrow says studies have shown it will be more cost effective in the long run to replace it now...  read more here...