An Aeryon Scout, a four-propeller unmanned aerial vehicle, returns to Nome on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, after surveying the sea ice near the town's harbor. University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers from the Geophysical Institute arrived in Nome to prepare for the arrival of the Russian fuel tanker, Renda. Jessica Cherry photo
An Aeryon Scout, a four-propeller unmanned aerial vehicle, is being used in Nome on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, to survey the sea ice near the town's harbor. University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers from the Geophysical Institute arrived in Nome to prepare for the arrival of the Russian fuel tanker, Renda. Jessica Cherry photo
The Renda is sailing to Nome to deliver fuel. The town’s supply is expected to run out before spring. The tanker is accompanied by U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Healy, which opens paths for the tanker.
Nome’s harbor is too shallow for Healy to enter, and the Renda will have to fare on its own to unload its fuel.
Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute arrived in Nome to help evaluate the ice near the harbor last week.
Andy Mahoney, a research assistant professor of geophysics, analyzed the ice outside the harbor and got a read on some of the pressure ridges’ thickness. Pressure ridges are created by ice pushing up against other ice, creating miniature mountain ranges. One was 25 feet thick.
Greg Walker, manager at the Geophysical Institute’s Poker Flat Research Range, arrived in Nome to provide more information on the sea ice outside of town using unmanned aircraft owned by BP Alaska. The small “drones” are about the size of smoke detectors, with four arms with propellors attached. A camera is positioned at the bottom of the craft.
Walker and his research assistants flew the aircraft around the harbor, snapping shots that will be sent to the Renda.
Jessica Cherry, a research assistant professor who also traveled to Nome, said the drones are used to monitor the situation, “especially in ice conditions where there’s the potential for an oil spill.”
As for getting the fuel in when its ice free, this happened because the ice came early.
I imagine that they get smaller shipments throughout the summer topping off the tanks late in the fall.
This tanker may be over kill since they say they won't make it to "spring, If it was more dire I would think they would say, something like, "before February/March/..." But they don't need to unload all the fuel.
I am guessing that smaller tankers couldn't take the impact of the ice.
They may even loaded too much fuel on purpose so they have extra weight for getting back out.
I wonder if the cutter's draft is too deep could the tanker draft also be an issue?
They may even loaded too much fuel on purpose so they have extra weight for getting back out.
As for getting the fuel in when its ice free, this happened because the ice came early.
I imagine that they get smaller shipments throughout the summer topping off the tanks late in the fall.
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/28/7190445-french-voyagers-prepare-for-trans-arctic-journey-on-hybrid-boat-through-ice-and-water
http://www.babouche-expe.eu/epresentation.html
It would be fun to build a much bigger boat like this.. a 100-foot long ice-sailboat that can sail over all ice conditions.. big enough to haul cargo all along the coast from Kaktovik to Kotzebue to Kodiak
Ukpeagvik Inupiat can build this in Barrow, we can build the parts in Fairbanks.
But more government agencies are getting in on the PR opportunity, so I guess that is good.
Anybody wanna help me build a Pelican amphib ??
WIG's are classified as boats, not planes..
FAA says they classify them as UFO's..
Coast Guard classifies them as "WTF ???"
Pelicans can skim over the ice at 230kts..
and haul 1400tons of LNG/LPG, or diesel.
I wonder what they would charge for 65 flights from Fairbanks to Nome.
I don't think we can say that shipping this fuel via tanker is less expensive simply because the tanker holds more than an aircraft.
The tanker itself has been under contract for considerably longer than a normal trip.
The cost of operating the escort ice-breaker needs to be added in as well.
My point is that the media should ask about the cost instead of simply playing on the human interest story. If the cost is indeed reasonable, my hat's off to those who thought of the idea. I just suspect that air transportation would be less expensive.
However, without checking, I'd be willing to be this month's pay that using this tanker is substantially cheaper than air freight.
For reference, the DC-6 is the largest tanker that can readily land at OME, and it can carry up to 5,000 gallons, according to Everts. The Renda is hauling 1,300,000 gallons, which means you'd need at least 260 flights with the DC-6.
Cost-wise, the Renda displaces 6,600 tons DWT. Comparitively, the TI Europea, of the largest class of ships ever built, can be chartered for $146,000 / day. The Renda will conservatively be under charter for 30 days, so using the [much] larger vessel's rate, that's $4,380,000.
Conversely, a DC-6 tanker costs about $6.50 / gallon for a 550-mile flight (ANC-OME). Carrying 1.3M gallons would thus cost about $8,450,000.
I've used about the most conservative numbers available, and using the Renda is still significantly cheaper than air freight.
If you want to account for the Healy's time, you need to consider that it would be running already, and that this mission is in keeping with the USCG's charter. Plus, the is something like seventy times the size of the Renda, which would be massively cheaper to operate.
Convinced?
Healey & Renda are now 99 nautical miles south of Nome..
If you look at the picture linked here it looks like the night-time city lights of Nome are barely visible from the pilothouse window of the Healy.. look on the right side of the picture on the horizon line.
The main-engine is running poorly on the Renda, it had a problem with the engine-valves in Dutch.. if somebody could air-drop some tanks of propane to the Renda it would add some extra-pep to the engine and reduce some of the black smoke belching from the stack..
..this propane-boost trick is used often in the old-classic tugboat races.