MV Fairweather is a catamaran ferry built by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut for the Alaska Marine Highway System entering service 2004. After being laid up since 2019, in March 2021 it was sold to Servicios y Concesiones Maritimas Ibicencas for service between Mallorca and Menorca. Construction and characteristics Much of coastal Alaska is inaccessible by road, leaving many widely-dispersed communities dependent on weather-affected flights and long ferry rides. Residents of Southeast Alaska urged political leaders to find better transportation alternatives. In January 2000 Governor Tony Knowles rejected building a road from Juneau to Skagway which would connect the state capital to the rest of the North American road network. Instead, he pushed for fast ferries between the towns of Southeast Alaska. Fairweather was the result of this initiative. Fairweather was designed by BMT Nigel Gee & Associates of Southampton, England. She was built by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut as part of a two-ship contract that included sister-ship MV Chenega. The contract was awarded in February 2002 and construction began in July 2002. The ship was launched on November 15, 2003 and christened by Nancy Murkowski, then the First Lady of Alaska. Fairweather's original cost was $36 million, much of which was funded by the federal government. Her construction was certified by the Det Norske Vertias classification society. Fairweather is long, with a beam of , and a loaded draft of . She displaces 787 long tons. Her gross tonnage, calculated under international rules, is 3,424 tons, while her U.S. gross registered tonnage is 1,280. Her hull is constructed of an aluminum alloy. She has vehicle loading doors both on her transom and starboard sides to allow for different port configurations. She is powered by four MTU 20V 4000 M73L diesel engines which produce 4,830 bhp (3,600 kW) each. These drive four KaMeWa 90SII water jets with six-bladed impellers. This machinery is located in two separate engine rooms, half in each of the catamaran hulls. Her cruising speed is 32 knots, at which she burns 600 gallons of diesel fuel per hour. Her maximum speed is 43 knots. Fairweather is equipped with an active interceptor roll control system to increase passenger comfort in rough seas and swells. She has two 100 hp bow thrusters, one in each hull, for maneuvering. Electrical power on the ship is provided by four Northern Lights M6125T generators, each capable of producing 185 kW.