April 30, 2026, Seward Folly Staff

The Seward Company, working in partnership with the Alaska Railroad, Royal Caribbean Group, and Turnagain Marine, has been working through a tough winter to replace the Seward cruise ship dock and passenger facilities. The $140 million project plowed through one of Seward’s roughest winters in decades and is due to welcome its first ship in two weeks. 

Destroying the old dock, built just after the 1964 earthquake, turned out to be a bigger task than expected, especially with the rugged weather. About a fifth of the dock remains standing, but that will stay up for now as crews prioritize installing the new 750-foot floating docks, according to Dwayne Atwood, Alaska Railroad’s Port Manager in Seward. A temporary fix will keep the old dock operational through the summer, while construction teams work around arriving cruise ships. The contractor, Turnagain Marine, is pushing to complete as much as possible during the busy season, with the final touches likely coming in the fall. Permanent pilings are already set, anchoring the floating piers in place, but some features, like lighting, will be finished over the summer. 

Inside the cruise terminal, the heavy lifting is done. The foundation and roof are solid, but there’s still concrete to pour for sidewalks and finishing work in the offices. The big parking lot north of the terminal isn’t quite ready, Atwood adds. “We will begin the season without asphalt in our large parking lot that’s north of the terminal, and that’s not ideal, but that is what we’re looking at until mid-June.” Until then, drivers will navigate using chalk lines and makeshift barriers. 

Bus operations are shifting as well. Instead of coaches pulling up directly on the dock, passengers will board in front of the terminal — an adjustment that marks a new era in how people move through the port. Covered walkways will shelter most of the route from ship to terminal, though not every step will be under a roof.

What remains of the old dock is piling up just north of Port Avenue. Crews break down the massive concrete caps, separating steel for recycling and setting aside rubble to be reused as fill or for riverbank protection, pending permits and logistics. Some of these materials may find new life in other community projects.

Changes extend beyond the cruise dock. The freight dock extension is the next phase of the ambitious multi-year project. It includes an artificial reef, with custom reef balls planned for the waters in front of the SeaLife Center. Meanwhile, work is underway to build a new industrial road northward to the highway, aimed at easing the summer crush on Port Avenue. This effort means burying power lines and adding fill to the northern yard, part of a larger push to keep the port’s traffic, everything from oil tankers to fisheries workers, flowing smoothly. 

This massive endeavor, almost complete in roughly 7 months, is an engineering and construction feat by any means. The first cruise ship is due into Seward on May 14. Former Seward Mayor and current VP of Real Estate for the railroad, Christy Terry, affirmed the new dock and facility will be ready to welcome this year’s first cruise ship tourists.