Columbia’s replacement piston misses its flight to Ketchikan

The Alaska Marine Highway System posted a service notice on 9 November 2026 with an update on M/V Columbia’s port main engine repairs in Ketchikan. The replacement piston from Germany experienced a delay during customs clearance and missed its scheduled flight to Ketchikan that morning. The system said it is working with Alaska Airlines to attempt to secure an alternate flight into Ketchikan later that day.

If the part cannot be delivered that day, it is scheduled to arrive on a freight flight on Tuesday, 10 November, at 4:45 p.m. Once the piston arrives at the vessel, crews anticipate installation will take approximately eight hours. The vessel must then complete the necessary testing and safety checks before returning to service. Depending on the arrival of the part and successful completion of repairs and testing, Columbia could resume service on Wednesday, 11 November, if the part arrives on Tuesday.