New barge company serving Juneau says it will ship EVs

Alaska Logistics Services provides first competition in 13 years for Alaska Marine Lines

An Alaska Logistics Services cargo ship. (Alaska Logistics Services photo)

By Pat Forgey

For the Juneau Independent

Juneau now has competitive barge service again, something Alaska's attorney general fought unsuccessfully to retain more than a decade ago, and one of its first announcements is it will transport electric vehicles.

The new entrant into the Juneau shipping market is Alaska Logistics Services, which has leased waterfront barge landing and cargo handling space, opened an office and is already bringing barges into Juneau. 

"Eventually we want to do weekly, but you've got to walk before you can run, right?" said Shaun Codman, manager of Alaska Logistics Services, in an interview.

The new freight barge service will mean a challenger for Lynden Transport's Alaska Marine Lines, previously the only company bringing freight barges into Juneau. Sitka-based Samson Tug and Barge also provides freight service to Juneau, but doesn't have its own barges and uses space on AML's barges.

Alaska Logistics Services announced on Facebook Thursday it is now shipping electric vehicles, providing relief to drivers and businesses who have struggled since AML banned them more than a year ago, citing safety concerns.

The only other way to get EVs to Juneau is the Alaska Marine Highway System, which limits them to two per trip.

AML's current schedule is two barges a week into Juneau. Other specialized barges transporting materials such as fuel, recycling, and rock and gravel also serve Juneau.

Because Samson uses AML's barges, that means Samson can't move electric vehicles either.

It was 13 years ago that Juneau last had two barge companies bringing their own freight barges into Juneau.

That local freight service that had been a competitor to AML was Northland Services.

But in 2013 AML bought Northland and shut down its barge landing and freight handling facility on Channel Drive. It moved most of those operations to AML's existing facility on Thane Road.

That acquisition raised concerns with Michael Geraghty, Alaska's attorney general at the time, who called it “anti-competitive” and went to court to block it.

The purchase of Northland will "eliminate Lynden's only significant competitor for deck cargo" in Juneau, according to a lawsuit brought by the attorney general.

That could have given Lynden monopoly power, which it could have used to jack up shipping rates, the filing notes.

Eventually, the attorney general negotiated the settlement with Lynden that first brought Samson Tug and Barge to Juneau, though without operating its own barges.

Instead, Samson would be promised space on AML barges which would be guaranteed to be at fair rates. Samson also obtained a portion of Northland's site on Channel Drive.

That agreement would maintain some competition in Juneau and protect shippers, the attorney general said when the deal was announced.

Samson and AML are still operating under that same agreement.

Alaska Logistics Services will provide additional competition for Juneau, its manager Shaun Codman said.

It's not that people are complaining about AML and current service, but Alaska Logistics Services could bring some "new ideas, fresh ideas" and develop a market in Juneau, he said.

A Lynden Transport spokesperson said the company did not want to talk about its competitors.

A Samson representative said the company did not expect the new competition by Alaska Logistics Services to change its operations in Juneau.

Alaska Logistics Services will be bringing experienced employees who have been operating in western Alaska for 22 years, and understand the challenges of operating in Alaska and understand the needs of Alaska customers, Codman said.

It will also be adding tug and barge capacity for its new Southeast service.

Alaska Logistics Services is something of a successor to a company previously called “Alaska Logistics” serving western Alaska.

But when that company filed for bankruptcy, a new company bought Alaska Logistics' assets, added "Services" to its name, and Southeast to its market area.

“I jumped back into the game here last year and started putting the company back together and rebuilding it to what it once was,” Codman said.

“That's why we're 'Alaska Logistics Services' now,” he said.

Codman said Alaska Logistics Services will be handling all types of cargo and, after working in western Alaska for two decades, the company is familiar with the challenges in the state and the needs of shippers.

He said Alaska Logistics has gotten permission from its insurance carrier to start bringing in electric vehicles to Juneau.

Codman said he was sure that approval would come eventually and that electric vehicles can be carried safely.

“Tesla is moving a lot of vehicles around the world right now,” he said.

“We're delighted to see this service,“ said Steve Behnke, a board member with Renewable Juneau, a group that has promoted the adoption of electric cars.

The city has adopted climate and renewable energy goals, “but it's pretty hard to achieve them without reasonable access to electric vehicles,” he said. 

Electric car advocate Duff Mitchell said he's been trying to convince AML to bring in electric cars because they were already bringing in pallets of lithium-ion batteries for solar and battery backup systems. Mitchell said car dealers have told him that they want more electric vehicles to sell.

When the first barge carrying electric vehicles into Juneau will arrive hasn't been decided, Codman said.

“We're still dialing in on it, and working on all the details," he said.

He said they've already been talking with likely customers, such as car dealers.

Juneau is among the state's leaders in adoption of electric vehicles, but its fervent electric vehicle owners feared the AML ban would stall the ability of car dealers to bring in additional electric vehicles and continue that growth.

Behnke said he's delighted to see Alaska Logistics' new service because it's difficult to meet the city's climate and renewable energy goals without reasonable access to electric vehicles.

• Pat Forgey is a longtime Alaska journalist who has written for the Juneau Empire and Anchorage Daily News. He can be contacted via editor@juneauindependent.com.