Fuel begins flowing into ice-bound Nome, Alaska

[pinto]

Fuel begins flowing into ice-bound Nome, Alaska

January 16, 2012 | 7:10 pm

Fuel began flowing into Nome, Alaska, just before sundown Monday, the final chapter in a dramatic mission to deliver 1.4 million gallons of winter fuel across 300 miles of icy seas to the ice-locked outpost on the Bering Sea.

After two days of carefully laying hose across the ice from where a Russian-flagged tanker was moored near the harbor, the pumps were turned on late Monday afternoon -- just before launch operations would have had to be delayed once again with the onset of nightfall.

"The fuel started flowing right about 5, so just about sunset -- just in the nick of time to make things very dramatic," Stacey Smith, spokeswoman for the fuel transport company Vitus Marine LLC, told The Times.

Alaska requires that such pumping begin in daylight, and Nome has just five hours of light this time of year. Now that the pumping has begun, the fuel can flow continuously. Vitus officials say the offload should take about 36 hours.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/

[madokie]

1. Thank you Russia

You came through for us and I applaud you.

[pinto]

2. Yeah. Quite an operation. And the US / Russia cooperation is good to see.

Probably more the norm than we realize. Just as with the recent rescues of Iranian sailors that the US aided. We are all more alike than dissimilar, imo.

[madokie]

7. Everyone except the 1%'rs

No where in the world do they fit in with the rest of all us regular peeps

[RC]

3. Is the pictured ship in the link a tanker... or a cargo ship?

[badtoworse]

4. It looks like a tanker to me. - nt

[RC]

6. It was those containers on the low deck.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

5. Good thing that Russians could see Alaska from their houses

and realized that they were neighbors who were in trouble.