A Sept. 14 fire at the Chugach Glacier Gateway cruise terminal in Whittier, Alaska, damaged the passenger catamaran Klondike Express, prompted the cruise ship Norwegian Jade to leave the berth, and drew a multiagency emergency response. No injuries were reported.
Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic watchstanders received a report of the fire at about 11 a.m. The Klondike Express, operated by Phillips Cruises & Tours, was moored at the terminal with no passengers aboard.
In its initial account of the incident, the Coast Guard said the tour boat caught fire while moored, was released from the pier, and that a fire aboard the vessel was extinguished.
Phillips Cruises & Tours later said the Klondike Express sustained damage from flames, heat, and smoke from the adjacent dock fire, but said there was no fire aboard the vessel and that the fire did not originate from the boat.
Firefighters from Whittier, Girdwood, and Anchorage responded along with Coast Guard personnel. The Coast Guard established a 500-yard safety zone around the site while personnel from Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic and a response boat crew from Station Valdez assisted local agencies.
A Coast Guard pollution response team was also dispatched to the scene. NOAA reported Sept. 15 that all 2,000 gals. of diesel aboard the Klondike Express had been accounted for and that no sheen was reported.
The Norwegian Jade, which had been berthed at the terminal when the fire began, departed the area safely and without reported damage.
The fire also prompted the temporary closure of the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which provides road access between Whittier and the Seward Highway. The tunnel reopened Monday afternoon after emergency responders were allowed through.
Phillips said its operations would continue aboard other vessels in its fleet.
The 137' aluminum Klondike Express was built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders on Whidbey Island, Wash., and entered service in 1999. The high-speed catamaran is powered by twin MTU 16V4000M63L engines, cruises at about 34 knots, and is Coast Guard licensed for 332 passengers plus crew. The vessel has a total fuel capacity of 4,000 gals.
Phillips operates the vessel on its 26 Glacier Cruise in Prince William Sound.
The Chugach Glacier Gateway is an approximately $80 million cruise terminal developed by Huna Totem Corp. in partnership with the City of Whittier and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Its double-berth pier welcomed its first cruise ship in September 2024.
The cause of the fire had not been announced as of Sept. 15.
