By Zachariah Hughes
Anchorage Daily News
With support from the mayor’s office, the Port of Alaska is moving forward with an expanded design that could add hundreds of millions of dollars to its already substantial price tag.
Under the new concept, the terminals would be identical: same width, same contiguous tracks, laid down for cranes considerably more capable than the outdated ones currently serving a single terminal. It was approved in a 3-2 vote at a Dec. 20 meeting of the port project’s Design Advisory Board.
Read Full Article Here:
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2023/02/05/bronson-backs-expanded-port-design-that-could-add-more-than-200m-to-modernization-project/
Coast Guard News
The Coast Guard responded to a fire aboard the tank vessel Atlantic Lily in the Port of Anchorage, Friday night.
At approximately 10 p.m., thick, black smoke was seen billowing from the exhaust stack of the 600-foot foreign-flagged tank vessel, following by a loud boom and flames.
The crew quickly responded to the emergency, deploying fire hoses, and extinguishing the flames. Anchorage Fire Department and Port of Alaska personnel arrived on scene shortly after to provide support.
The vessel was reportedly transferring jet fuel at the time of the incident and cargo operations were suspended until the fire was extinguished and a thorough investigation was conducted.
It was determined that an issue with the vessel’s auxiliary boiler caused an improper fuel-to-air mixture, igniting a buildup of soot in the exhaust stack which resulted in a loud boom and flames.
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https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-responds-to-vessel-fire-in-the-port-of-alaska-anchorage/
BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE
On Friday, a stack fire aboard a product tanker startled residents around the port of Anchorage, Alaska with a loud explosion and a plume of smoke.
The foreign-flagged tanker Atlantic Lily was alongside at a fuel pier in Anchorage on Friday and unloading a cargo of jet fuel. For reasons of a technical malfunction, the boiler began to emit unburned fuel vapor up the stack, a dangerous condition that can result in an explosion. At about 2200 hours, the vapor ignited in the stack, producing a loud boom, thick smoke and visible flames.
The vessel's crew responded to the emergency by deploying fire hoses and extinguishing the flames. The Anchorage Fire Department and Port of Alaska personnel arrived on scene shortly after to provide support, but did not need to board the vessel. The cargo transfer operation was paused until the fire was fully out and the cause had been investigated with Coast Guard oversight.
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https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/stack-fire-sends-smoke-plume-over-port-of-anchorage
TradeWinds News
By Gary Dixon
A technical malfunction has been blamed for two separate fires on an International Seaways tanker in Alaska.
The exhaust stack on the 50,000-dwt Atlantic Lily (built 2008) suffered blazes on Friday evening and Saturday morning at the Port of Alaska in Anchorage.
The Anchorage Daily News reported officials as saying both fires were quickly contained by crew members, who were not injured.
There was no damage to the port, but damage to the Hong Kong-flag MR is unclear.
International Seaways confirmed the vessel experienced an exhaust stack fire over the weekend, which was quickly brought under control.
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https://www.tradewindsnews.com/casualties/double-fire-extinguished-on-international-seaways-tanker-in-alaska/2-1-1358148
By Anchorage Daily News
A mechanical malfunction aboard a 600-foot tanker ship docked at the Port of Alaska caused two fires Friday evening and Saturday morning, authorities said. Both fires were quickly contained by the ship’s crew, officials said. No injuries or damage to the port were reported.
The ship was the Hong Kong-flagged Atlantic Lily, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.
Anchorage Fire Department dispatchers responded Friday evening just before 10 p.m. to reports of a “a very, very large backfire boom that everybody heard” at the port, Anchorage Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Boyd said Saturday.
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https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2022/11/19/fires-aboard-tanker-ship-docked-at-anchorage-port-quickly-contained-after-loud-boom-reported/
KTUU News
By Tim Rockey
A ship docked at the Port of Alaska experienced a boiler fire on Friday night, creating a loud boom and brief billowing smoke.
According to a press release, the oil tanker Atlantic Lily was offloading Jet A-1 fuel at the port when the blast occurred at 10:08 p.m. on Friday.
Port of Alaska Facility Security Officer and Director of Business Continuity and External Affairs Jim Jager said that fuel offloading operations were immediately suspended and the crew responded to the fire, according to Jager. Fueling operations at a nearby terminal were briefly shut down as well.
View Full Story Here:
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2022/11/19/engine-backfires-port-alaska/
Anchorage Daily News
By Zachariah Hughes
Congressional and local officials this week welcomed news that the Port of Alaska is set to receive $68.7 million in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The money is part of a larger bundle of federal spending on “port-related infrastructure and ferry terminal projects” approved under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed last year in Congress, according to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office.
“This grant award comes at a crucial time for the Port of Alaska and Municipality, as we work to rebuild and modernize Alaska’s most important piece of infrastructure,” said Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson in a written statement. “Progress like this puts us one step closer to delivering food security for Alaska through a seismically resilient and modern Port of Alaska.”
The federal money unlocks additional funds approved by the Alaska Legislature in its last capital budget. Lawmakers sent $100 million for port improvements, and set aside another $100 million only to be released if they were matched by federal dollars.
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https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2022/10/28/anchorage-to-get-69m-for-port-repairs-as-part-of-federal-infrastructure-bill-spending-in-alaska/
Office of Dan Sullivan, United States Senator for Alaska
Office of Lisa Murkowski, United States Senator for Alaska
Joint Release: 10.26.22
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) today announced that four Alaska coastal communities will receive a total of $112 million in investments this year for critical port-related infrastructure and ferry terminal projects, marking the first wave of these type of investments attributable to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The awards, made possible by the IIJA’s investments in Alaska’s maritime infrastructure and supply chain, will benefit the Alaska Marine Highway System, coastal communities, supply chains and consumers across Alaska. The IIJA made a significant down payment in the nation’s maritime infrastructure, making $2.25 billion in additional funds available over five years to the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), which is a key funding avenue for Alaska coastal communities. These new grants, from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration also received funding from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022.
“Ports, harbors, and the Alaska Marine Highway System are all essential to our state, serving as a lifeline that connects our coastal communities. That’s why I’ve prioritized doing what I can at the federal level to ensure we have the resources necessary to maintain and improve them. In my work as an appropriator and as a key architect of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, I’ve secured funding to help build, expand, and improve ports and harbors across our state to ensure that key ports such as the Port of Alaska and the Alaska Marine Highway System has the necessary support,” said Senator Murkowski. “These new Port Infrastructure Development Program grants will be the first of many additional opportunities to deliver vital port related infrastructure funding to our state that will bring benefits to Alaska for decades to come.”
“As I often say, Alaska is a resource-rich but infrastructure-poor state. The Port of Alaska is critical for Alaska’s supply chain and America’s national security,” Senator Sullivan said. “Serving as Alaska’s principal transportation hub for the vast majority of goods the U.S. military and Alaskans rely on, the port needs significant reconstruction to combat corrosion, something I’ve pressed repeatedly as a member of both the Senate EPW and Commerce Committees. Working together with Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young, we’ve been able to secure roughly $120 million in federal grants for the Port of Alaska in the last three years. I want to thank the Department of Transportation, the Maritime Administration, and the U.S. Transportation Command for taking action after I emphasized in multiple meetings with senior officials the critical role the Port of Alaska serves. I’m also glad to see the significant federal infrastructure dollars we secured being deployed for other port projects across the state that Senator Murkowski and I have long advocated for, including the Sand Point and the Port of Adak projects. These infrastructure improvements will provide several Alaska communities with the ability to safely and efficiently transport goods to and from their communities, benefitting both local communities and the national supply chain.”
“This grant award comes at a crucial time for the Port of Alaska and Municipality, as we work to rebuild and modernize Alaska’s most important piece of infrastructure,” said Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson. “The nearly $70 million Senators Sullivan and Murkowski secured will ensure we permanently fix the North End of the Port. Progress like this puts us one step closer to delivering food security for Alaska through a seismically resilient and modern Port of Alaska. My deepest thanks to our Senators for being tireless champions for the Port.”
GRANT RECIPIENTS (information provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation)
1. Port of Alaska (Anchorage): $68.7 million for the Port of Alaska, one of the nation’s commercial strategic seaports located in Anchorage, to reconfigure and realign the shoreline within the area north of the existing general cargo terminals as well as for the demolition of a sheet pile wall, removal of approximately 1.3 million cubic yards of material, and construction of a shoreline revetment of armor rock.
2. Port of Adak (Adak): $10.1 million for the Port of Adak, in the Aleutian Islands, for making repairs and updates to the primary supply pier as well as for planning and permitting work, removal of the deteriorated timber pile fender system, repairs to damaged concrete piles and caps, installation of a high-energy absorbing fender system, and installation of new sewer, firefighting water, potable water, electrical and communications utilities, and LED lighting.
3. Sand Point Floating Dock Project: $5.3 million for installing more than 1,000 feet of new floating dock and supporting access, utility, and safety infrastructure within the existing harbor. The Project will complete the Aleutians East Borough's long-term efforts to fully build out the community's harbor.
4. Prince William Sound ferry terminals (Cordova, Tatitlek, & Chenega): $28.2 million for upgrades and modifications at three Prince William Sound ferry terminals—Cordova, Tatitlek, and Chenega—to accommodate Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. The Cordova improvements include removal of floating fenders and construction of fixed-fender mooring dolphins and catwalks and modifications to the stern berth to accommodate the ferries. The Tatitlek improvements include the provision of new end-loading ferry terminal structures, including a vehicle transfer bridge and bridge support float. The Chenega improvements include the construction of a new ferry terminal facility, including a pile-supported approach dock structure, vehicle transfer bridge, bridge support float, and two mooring dolphins.
A container ship that is traveling to the Port of Alaska is leaking lubricant, according to a statement released by the U.S. Coast Guard Saturday.
The Coast Guard was first notified Thursday evening “that the Maunalei, a 645-foot container ship, was leaking lubricant while transiting to the Port of Alaska.”
“The vessel, owned by Matson, Inc., was reportedly discharging a biodegradable, environmentally acceptable lubricant at a rate of approximately six gallons per hour,” the statement said. “Given the low toxicity of the lubricant, the strong tidal currents, and the slow release rate, threats to the wildlife and resources in the region are anticipated to be minimal.”
The Coast Guard and partner agencies are monitoring the leak.
View full story here:
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2022/08/07/ship-headed-port-alaska-is-leaking-lubricant/
ENRNorthwest
By: James Leggate
In a step toward funding over $2 billion worth of needed projects, Alaska officials have approved more than $400 million for port upgrades and construction of a cruise ship passenger dock.
The state’s fiscal year 2023 capital budget, which Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) signed June 30, includes $200 million for the Port of Alaska modernization program in Anchorage, with half of the funds contingent on the port finding matching money. Jim Jager, director of business continuity and external affairs for Port of Alaska, says the port has already applied for federal funding it could use to match the state funds.
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https://www.enr.com/articles/54406-alaska-oks-funds-for-185b-port-upgrade-other-projects
