A Tote Maritime Alaska ship that was supposed to depart from Tacoma for Anchorage nearly two weeks ago won't return to service as anticipated on Wednesday.
The North Star, one of the company's two cargo ships that runs regularly on the Tacoma-to-Anchorage route, did not leave Washington state as scheduled on Jan. 14 after a mechanical issue was discovered.
A company official said last week that repairs were expected to be completed early this week. The North Star's next voyage was scheduled for Jan. 27, but now that date has been pushed back again to an unspecified time.
The company said on its website Tuesday that "test results during dock trials conclude that repairs to the North Star will be extended."
Tote is evaluating the next departure date for the North Star and said it will provide updates as they become available.
Last week, the ship's delay caused some Alaska grocery stores to run low on certain items. The North Star carries groceries and other goods to Alaska, along with the Midnight Sun, Tote's other cargo ship that regularly travels between Washington state and Alaska. The Midnight Sun's next departure is scheduled for Friday.
Kristin Summerlin, the marketing manager at Co-op Market Grocery and Deli in Fairbanks, said the store was supposed to get a shipment of dry groceries, such as pasta, grains, and pasta sauce, on the North Star this week.
"I expect we'll have some empty spots on our shelves," she said. "We do expect that it's probably going to affect shipment for a while. They could have it fixed next week, we just don't have any way of knowing that."
Most Fred Meyer locations across Alaska were affected by the delay last week, said company spokeswoman Melinda Merrill. But Fred Meyer learned of the extended delay early enough this week to load its groceries onto a Matson ship instead.
"This week, we won't have late shipments because we had notice," Merrill said. "It won't really have a big impact on us."
A Tote executive did not return phone calls or emails requesting comment for this story.