Issue link: http://digital.nexsitepublishing.com/i/778359
Western Alaska is an area where no roads lead, accessible only by boat or by plane from Anchorage or Fairbanks. It is an area where there are far more caribou than people, where polar bears still roam freely, where snow dominates the land and ice dominates the seas, and where a winter storm producing a 100-mph wind doesn't get national news coverage as a hurricane. It's an area that TV viewers recognize from the show "The Deadliest Catch," giving a glimpse of the environmental conditions mariners must endure to work on the waters and make a living. It is iced-in and inaccessible for six months, then ice-free for the other six months, allowing commerce a short and intense village resupply season. It is a large geographical area where the oceans are lifelines for the villages, allowing Crowley's specially built tugs and barges and highly trained crews to transit and resupply depleted fuel after a long winter of iced-in isolation. It is in this area that Crowley's western Alaska fleet operates. The fleet has 180 days to deliver 50 million gallons of fuel before it retreats back south as ice begins forming again, isolating the communities for another winter. A Snapshot in Time It is day 70 of Crowley's 180-day fuel delivery season, bringing another summer day in western Alaska, and the fuel resupply season is in full progress. Many challenges lie before the specialized fleet of shallow-draft tugs and Above: The shallow-draft tug Sesok pushes aside ice to make way for a cargo delivery by flat- deck barge over the beach. This choreographed maneuver is essential for Crowley's resupply deliveries in Western Alaska. Below: Capt. Greg Pavellas TV viewers recognize from the show "The Deadliest Catch," giving a glimpse of the environmental conditions mariners must endure to work on the waters and make a living. It is iced-in and inaccessible for six months, then ice-free for the other six months, allowing commerce a short and intense village resupply season. It is a large geographical area where the oceans are lifelines for the villages, allowing Crowley's specially built tugs and barges and highly trained crews to transit and resupply depleted fuel after a long winter of iced-in isolation. It is in this area that Crowley's western Alaska fleet operates. The fleet has 180 days to deliver 50 million gallons of fuel before it retreats back south as ice begins forming again, isolating the communities for another winter. Story continued on page 31 Core Value: INTEGRITY 30 Breaking the Ice Western Alaska Mariners Skillfully Race to Deliver Fuel in Rugged Environment Story by Capt. Greg Pavellas (Adapted from the U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings, Summer 2016 edition) There are many things we do to improve our operations, to be socially responsible to the environment, the customers we serve and the people of Alaska."