There's a new twist in the saga of a Russian fuel tanker trying to reach ice-bound Nome. The Coast Guard said the Renda was just 15 miles out from the Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor when it turned back Wednesday to make minor repairs. Petty Officer Erik Ihle said the tanker was anchored just outside Dutch Harbor Wednesday night and plans called for it to head for Nome once again on Thursday. He didn't know the exact nature of the repairs. The Renda, a tanker that can break through ice, left the Aleutian Islands port Wednesday morning. Bering Sea storms prevented a fuel barge from making its final delivery to Nome late last year. Vitus Marine arranged the trip by the Renda on behalf of Bonanza Fuel, a subsidiary of the Sitnasuak Native Corp. KTUU reported the Renda is loaded with more than 1 million gallons of diesel fuel and 400,000 gallons of gasoline. The voyage to the Seward Peninsula is about 700 nautical miles and the last 300 are expected to be through ice about 2 feet thick. The Coast Guard Cutter Healy will escort the Renda on the four- to five-day trip.
Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/01/04/1969742/fuel-tanker-leaves-dutch-harbor.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2012/01/04/renda-departs-for-nome/
Photo by Matthew Smith, KNOM - Nome: Andy Mahoney, an Assistant Research Professor at UAF and part of the Sea Ice Group at UAF's Geophysical Institute, takes ice core samples.
The Renda is on its way to Nome. The tanker departed Dutch Harbor Wednesday morning at 9:50 with the icebreaker Healy close behind. They are now steaming north through 380 miles of open water before hitting the ice edge. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow says the vessels will be near each other for the open water transit, cruising at up to 10 to 12 knots.
Wadlow says the vessels will have 340 miles of ice to plow though. The fuel could arrive in Nome sometime around Sunday, depending on the progress through the ice. Vitus Marine CEO Mark Smith says his team is putting their efforts towards the final delivery in Nome.
What happens at port however, is still not finalized. The ice conditions for the final stretch and a ruling by the Department of Environmental Conservation will determine the details of offloading fuel.
Five days before the anticipated delivery, researchers from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks were drilling ice cores to get a better understanding of ice conditions. Assistant Research Professor Andy Mahoney said his priority was assessing a pressure ridge that formed at the very end of the breakers, at the entrance to the harbor. Above the surface it’s 5 feet high, but below the surface it extends further down.
Ice stability is crucial as delivery plans could include offloading fuel with the tanker moored outside the harbor with hosing running across the ice.
Ice cores taken by the team will be melted and tested for salinity. By knowing the composition of the ice, officials will be able to determine the best course of action and equipment for unloading the fuel from the Renda into Nome’s tanks.
Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/01/04/1969742/fuel-tanker-leaves-dutch-harbor.html#storylink=cpy
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2012/01/04/renda-departs-for-nome/
Photo by Matthew Smith, KNOM - Nome: Andy Mahoney, an Assistant Research Professor at UAF and part of the Sea Ice Group at UAF's Geophysical Institute, takes ice core samples.
The Renda is on its way to Nome. The tanker departed Dutch Harbor Wednesday morning at 9:50 with the icebreaker Healy close behind. They are now steaming north through 380 miles of open water before hitting the ice edge. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow says the vessels will be near each other for the open water transit, cruising at up to 10 to 12 knots.
Wadlow says the vessels will have 340 miles of ice to plow though. The fuel could arrive in Nome sometime around Sunday, depending on the progress through the ice. Vitus Marine CEO Mark Smith says his team is putting their efforts towards the final delivery in Nome.
What happens at port however, is still not finalized. The ice conditions for the final stretch and a ruling by the Department of Environmental Conservation will determine the details of offloading fuel.
Five days before the anticipated delivery, researchers from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks were drilling ice cores to get a better understanding of ice conditions. Assistant Research Professor Andy Mahoney said his priority was assessing a pressure ridge that formed at the very end of the breakers, at the entrance to the harbor. Above the surface it’s 5 feet high, but below the surface it extends further down.
Ice stability is crucial as delivery plans could include offloading fuel with the tanker moored outside the harbor with hosing running across the ice.
Ice cores taken by the team will be melted and tested for salinity. By knowing the composition of the ice, officials will be able to determine the best course of action and equipment for unloading the fuel from the Renda into Nome’s tanks.
0 comments:
Post a Comment