Russian ships break ice to fuel Alaska

A Russian ship carrying the necessary fuel to the seaport located in a remote area of ​​Alaska finally reached its destination on Saturday 14 January, after attempting to cross freezing roads across the Arctic Ocean. up to 480 km long, US Coast Guard forces said.

Under the help of a US Coast Guard icebreaker, Russia's Renda tanker is only 11 km away from Nome port, as of the end of Friday. However, it moved very slowly in the last leg before landing.

"They tried to determine the best route to get the Renda ship to the nearest location, but still make sure the ship leaves when this is over," said spokeswoman Veronica Colbath.

"We were close to the finish line, but not quite to the finish line and there was still a lot to move," she told AFP news agency, adding that the Russian tanker had an oil pipeline. data to 1.6 km long to serve this task.

The ship carries 1.3 million gallons of fuel for Nome, a 3,500-city city that has not been refueled before the winter, as a fall during the fall has hindered it.

This is the first time people have tried to carry fuel over about 480 kilometers of seaway hardened by ice, in windy conditions and in ocean currents, making transportation extremely difficult.

According to Colbath, the Renda has moved after Healy, an American icebreaker, and must often rely on the ship for help because the ice formed around it too quickly.

Fuel transport operations take place in extremely cold weather conditions, extremely difficult even by Alaska standards. Colbath said that the temperature on the two ships had dropped to -50 degrees Celsius.

The United States has granted a special license to the Renda to carry out relief operations, since normally only US owned and operated vessels are allowed to carry out similar fuel transfer operations, as prescribed. under a US law issued in 1920.

By the evening of Friday, everything was ready for the Russian ship to move its fuel ashore, but the US Coast Guard did not say whether the operation would take place on Saturday.

"They still have to bring Renda to a position close enough for the fuel hose to reach. And they also have to make sure that no matter where Renda is, it can leave at any time." - Colbath said.

Once the taps are connected, the fuel transfer from the ship to the shore will take about 45 hours of continuous pumping, day and night, officials said.

People have created a path by turning snow at a beach with a good view towards the port, so that the townspeople can come to see the fuel transfer. However, many red paint piles on the top were also plugged into the snow, marking areas where people were not allowed to go, because the hose would run through it.

All people can see from the shore are just two small pea-white spots, which are the ships listed above.

"At this point, we cannot say when the fuel transfer will take place because after Renda is in position, we will have to wait until the water freezes around the ship to keep it stable" - another US Coast Guard spokeswoman, Sara Francis, said.

Even if the transfer of oil begins, it is difficult to predict how long it will take, as the exceptionally low temperatures can affect the flow rate of the fuel.