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Slow going for Russian tanker Renda and its fuel for NomeThe sailors driving 1.3 million gallons of fuel north through the Bering Sea to ice-blocked Nome, Alaska, have left open water and entered the ice pack, sending the tandem ships into the heart of their challenging journey. The threshold crossing wasted no time delivering trouble. By the time darkness fell, the Coast Guard's ice-breaking cutter Healy had to double back and punch the Renda free at least three times. The fuel tanker had become stuck in ice and the Healy was forced to stop and slice into the ice around the larger vessel. Tracking data shows the Healy was in a near dead stop for about four hours Friday afternoon. By about six Friday evening, the ships had resumed their journey at a slowed pace, about 5 or 6 knots, said Petty Officer David Mosley with the Coast Guard’s public affairs office. "The ice conditions are giving us a number of challenging issues," Mosley said. "We can break it open but it is quickly closing." Nightfall will make the challenges even greater. The closer the ships travel together, the more alert they must be to prevent knocking into each other. If they can't keep good watch, if the Renda gets stuck again they may have to stay put until daylight, he said. The Healy, a more capable ice ship than the Renda, is able to break the ice floes. But the chunks are coming together quickly, creating a challenging dynamic between how the Healy moves, the Renda's tailgating and its ability to navigate the newly cut open channel. "They are moving on at a crawl," Mosely said late Friday night. The evolving challenges come on the same day the crew of the Renda celebrated Russian Christmas. Capt. Peter Garay, the Alaska Marine Pilot stationed on the vessel to lead it in and out of state waters, brought with him a jumbo turkey and ham for a day-long holiday dinner, undoubtedly interrupted by the serious business of maneuvering safely to Nome. Over 390 nautical miles, the ships must navigate ice chunks of varying size and depth. Passing Nunivak Island, the ice was 8 to 10 inches thick. That should increase as the ships approach Nome. Mid-afternoon Friday, the ice was nearly twice that deep as the tandem vessels headed toward even deeper ice, according to Kathleen Cole, an ice scientist with the National Weather Service who is consulting on the mission. About 19 miles northwest of Nunavak Island Friday evening, the ships were encountering 5-foot-deep sections from pressure ridges – thin, towering ice walls that snake across flatter, “pancake” ice that comprises the bulk of the pack. All in all it’s “going really well,” Cole said from her Anchorage office Friday. She’s monitoring the ice pack via computers and satellite images, while the Coast Guard scouts the ice by flying above. Cole has been relieved to learn that her assessments have synced up with the real conditions the sailors are encountering. “Spot on,” was the report she got at Friday’s morning briefing.
That’s good news as the crews plow through ice trying to take the most direct route -- and the one of least resistance. Tracking the thinner bands of ice helps with the decision making. With the Healy leading the way, the Russian ice-breaking fuel tanker Renda has been able to maintain a speed of 6 to 7 knots, said Stacey Smith, Project Manager for Vitus Marine, LLC, the company that hired the ship. “We are feeling very hopeful,” she said.
Best wishes to this whole mission. I hope it all goes well - it is so risky. On a strictly bean counter level, will this really end up cheaper than flying the fuel? With the associated Coast Guard efforts this has got to be very expensive. Thank you Captain Garay for the excellent work you and your fellow pilots do. Pilots are the professionals that help to insure that the waters of Alaska remain unspoiled as they deliver the ships, their cargo, crew and passengers safely to their destination. |
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