Seward's Marine Industry

Located at the northern tip of Resurrection Bay, Seward has long been a maritime destination. As Alaska’s only deep-water, ice-free port with rail, highway, and air transportation, the city of Seward is well-situated and easily accessible from Alaska’s major hubs and the Lower 48, but Seward’s history as a meeting point long predates roads and railways. 

In the Alutiiq language, Seward is known as Qutekcak, meaning ‘big beach’, and served the Alutiiq, Sugpiaq, and other Alaska Native peoples as a meeting area. The robust marine ecosystem and convenient geographic location made Seward, or Qutekcak, a mixing area for groups throughout Southcentral Alaska. After the purchase of Alaska by the United States in 1867, American settlers came to Seward and founded the city in 1903 as a supply base and terminal for a railway. 

Seward’s maritime history continues to grow and morph to the needs of the times. Today, Seward is home to a variety of vessels, from the commercial fishing fleet to tour boats, as well as a trove of maintenance, education, and research opportunities.