Fast vehicle ferries for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

For more than 40 years the Alaska Marine Highway System has maintained and operated a vehicle-ferry service that provides critical transportation needs throughout coastal regions of Alaska. It is now implementing plans to markedly improve ferry service in southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound. High-speed roll on/roll off (ro-ro) ferries, or fast vehicle ferries, are an important part of these improvements. Such ferries have been used successfully in other areas of the world, but this is the first U.S. application of fast ferries for year-round ro-ro service. Why speed is important to economic improvements in Alaska transportation is discussed, some critical features of the fast vehicle ferry design are outlined, and insight into the decision-making process to date is provided.