A Russian ice-class tanker has experienced a bit of a hiccup in its plans to deliver fuel to a Western Alaska community.
The 371-foot double-hulled Renda recently was unable to load gasoline in Japan because of bad weather and regulatory restrictions, said Sarah Francis, a Coast Guard spokeswoman in Kodiak.
The ship is now crossing the Sea of Japan bound for the Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor, where it plans to take on 400,000 gallons of gasoline, she said.
The ship is carrying just over 1 million gallons of diesel fuel it took on in Korea. If things go as planned, it will deliver the diesel fuel and gasoline -- totaling 1.5 million gallons -- to Nome in early January.
Francis could not say when the Renda would arrive in the ice-free port of Dutch Harbor.
The delivery to Nome is far from guaranteed. Before it can fuel up in Dutch Harbor, Renda must pass a port state control exam at the port and receive a waiver of the Jones Act, which restricts shipping in U.S. waters to American-owned or American-flagged ships. Fuel transfer plans must also meet state and federal regulations.
The unprecedented delivery -- fuel has never been shipped through ice to Western Alaska -- was set in motion after ice formed around the community of Nome before a Delta Western tug-and-barge could deliver fuel to last the community through winter.
If the delivery happens, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy will help provide safe passage by breaking through 300 miles of sea ice. Plans call for overflights by a Coast Guard C-130 from Kodiak and possibly a Healy-based helicopter to be ready in the event of an emergency, Francis said.
If the delivery can't happen, Nome residents could be looking at pump prices for gasoline higher than $8 a gallon.