She completed the route between Seattle and Ketchikan in about 43 hours. While the southern terminus of this route was moved to Bellingham in October 1989, the Inside Passage route remains part of the Alaska Marine Highway System. Matanuska has sailed it periodically over the years including in 2020. Alaska's ships periodically failed to meet demand for lack of sufficient capacity. This was particularly true when one of them was out of service for maintenance. Malaspina was lengthened in 1972 at the Willamette Iron & Steel Company in Portland Oregon to increase her capacity. In July 1977, the state of Alaska awarded a $15,228,500 contract to the same shipyard to lengthen Matanuska as well. The ship was cut in two and a new midsection, long, was welded into the hull just ahead of the funnel. New staterooms, crew quarters, dining facilities, deckhouses, elevators and masts were added. In May 2018 Matanuska was taken out of service and began a major refit, including the replacement of her main engines, reduction gears, propeller shafts, shaft bearings, and variable-pitch propellers, among other items. The work was done by Vigor Industrial at its Portland shipyard. The refit ultimately cost $47 million and took until November 2019 to complete. In January 2020, one of her new reduction gears failed and she was out of service again for more repairs. Aside from her mechanical troubles, in 2020 Matanuska and the rest of the Alaska Marine Highway System were affected by COVID-19 and by budget cuts imposed by Governor Mike Dunleavy. Matanuska was scheduled to resume her mainline route from Bellingham to Skagway on July 3, 2020, but without service to the Prince Rupert terminal due to virus restrictions. Service was suspended temporarily in August for crew testing when five passenger tested positive for the virus. Accidents The waters of Southeast Alaska plied by Matanuska are complex. There are a number of narrow passages, and high tidal ranges and swift currents are the norm. This has led to a number of accidents over the years. Matanuska was passing through Sergius Narrows north of Sitka on August 31, 1963 when she scraped her port side on a submerged ledge. Damage was slight, but she was forced to sail to Seattle for a dry dock inspection and repairs. It was her captain's first trip through the narrows. On September 24, 1964 the ship hit a submerged object in Wrangell