Russian ship closer to getting needed fuel to iced-in Nome
The Renda, a Russian tanker, is shown in Unalaska. A Russian tanker that plans to deliver petroleum products to an iced-in Alaska city has arrived at a fishing port in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The Coast Guard says the 370-foot tanker Renda anchored outside the port of Dutch Harbor Jan. 2.
AP Photo/Jim Paulin
The Department of Homeland Security has waived the Jones Act for the Russian ice-class tanker Renda, bringing it that much closer to getting much-needed fuel to the city of Nome.
The Renda was chartered by Vitus Marine to carry fuel into Nome after a previous fuel delivery by barge was thwarted by the heavy storms along the Bering Strait this fall. It was previously reported that the alternative of air delivery would bring fuel costs up to $9 per gallon.
The 370-foot tanker is carrying just more than 1 million gallons of diesel fuel. It will pick up 400,000 gallons of gasoline in Dutch Harbor before heading to Nome. To get there, however, the 420-foot Coast Guard ice breaker Healy, which is home-ported in Seattle, must clear the way.
If everything goes according to plan, the delivery will reach Nome in early to mid-January.
Eighty crewmembers currently are onboard the Healy, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Holly McNair. Many are giving up their holiday time to help Nome’s rescue. Requests for interviews with Healy crewmembers weren’t returned by press time. McNair said, “We’re happy to do it.”
Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow said the Healy has done a lot of work with the National Science Foundation conducting Arctic research but this is the first time its faced a job like this.
However, getting to Nome with a Russian tanker isn’t so cut-and-dry. Regulatory hurdles had to be cleared, and the Jones Act checks an important one off the list. The act prohibits foreign vessels from transporting cargo between U.S. ports.
The next phase consists of state approval.
“Under state regulations, they must have an oil contingency plan approved by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation,” said John Kotula, manager of the DEC marine vessels section within the Industry Preparedness Program.
The public comment period has just ended and review is under way. This will be done quickly due to the timely nature of the mission.
The Renda’s plan must be modified to deal with the winter conditions it will face with in the icy Alaska waters. It must be itemized to show how it will deal with all of these winter conditions.
“Vitus has an approved plan but it doesn’t cover those conditions,” he said.
Once the plan is modified and approved, the Renda can proceed to Nome, where personnel can meet it and verify everything is in place.
Kotula said the unusualness of the situation calls for cooperation with an array of agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coast Guard, industry representatives, the city of Nome and the Alaska Marine Pilots Association, among others. He said that state-licensed ship pilots have been pulled in because they will play a big role in this.
“There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of experts that are being consulted to help us identify any potential risks, safety hazards and that sort of thing that may be encountered as this evolution continues to movie forward,” Wadlow said.
While this specific situation is different, spot-charters for tankers happen frequently, Kotula said, particularly in Cook Inlet, the Aleutians and western areas of the state. Dealing with ice conditions is especially prevalent in Cook Inlet.
The main difference in this instance and those is that this particular plan didn’t cover the specific ice conditions.
“It’s not really unusual for us but in this particular case with this company coming in, it’s unusual for them so we will handle it through the regulatory process, make sure everything is in place,” he said.
Alaska’s delegation has advocated the Jones Act waiver on behalf of Nome and issued statements upon the approval.
U.S. Sen. Mark Begich sent letters to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Dec. 9 and 22 to press the waiver. He acknowledged that a lot of work still remains before the mission is complete.
“This is great news for Nome residents who either faced a long, cold winter or soaring energy costs,” Begich said in a release. “This decision also recognizes Nome’s key strategic position adjacent to the Bering Straits as well as the Coast Guard’s need for maintained facilities to monitor our northern border.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young asked U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan D. Bersin to support the waiver.
“Today is an important step in providing certainty to the Seward Peninsula region, in terms of heat and affordable heating prices through the winter, but it is only a step. We literally have hundreds of miles to go before resolution,” Murkowski said in a release.
Jonathan Grass can be reached at jonathan.grass@alaskajournal.com.
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