Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/149407
Above: Crowley delivers needed fuel and freight to isolated Alaskan communities by river barge. Below: Crowley's tug Sesok helps the 165-1 barge shift from the fuel dock to the barge ramp to load equipment inside a Nome, Alaska, harbor (photo credit: Joy L. Baker). us greater efficiencies and improved service for the markets and customers we serve." To support its mission of serving Alaska's remote river villages, Crowley also deployed the first double-hull tank barge 180-1 in 2005, and paired it with tug Sinuk for delivery of both deck cargo and refined petroleum products, then again set out to modernize its local fleet with two new, 76-foot tugboats (Nachik and Sesok) in 2009. These 1,362-horsepower triple-screw, shallow draft tugs were purpose built to handle the unique requirements of barge transportation to Western Alaska. "These tugs are equipped to safely move petroleum/freight barges in river systems throughout Alaska," said Crowley's Bob Cox, vice president, Crowley Petroleum Distribution Right: 2009, Crowley's new tugboat Nachik at its christening. 10 (CPD) Alaska LLC. "They are specifically suited for the river and coastal regions, where operations are challenging due to restricted drafts and a lack of docking infrastructure." Several years later, in 2011, these tugs would be joined by two new double-hulled, combination deck cargo and tank barges DBL 165-1 and DBL 165-2, also designed and equipped for shallow draft operations and beach landings. These innovative new vessels were the first double-hulled, environmentally friendly barges of their kind to operate in Western Alaska waters. "While the double-hull construction wasn't a regulatory requirement, we took the opportunity to engineer them for the rigors of Western Alaska," said Rockwell "Rocky" Smith, senior vice president and general manager, petroleum distribution and