Hose Laid For Fuel Transfer At Iced-in Alaska Town

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Crews have laid two hoses along a stretch of Bering Sea ice and are hoping to soon begin transferring 1.3 million gallons of fuel from a Russian fuel tanker to the iced-in western Alaska city of Nome.

Stacey Smith of Vitus Marine says the offloading could begin before sundown Monday. Vitus is the fuel supplier that arranged to have the Russian tanker Renda and its crew deliver the fuel.

Jason Evans, board chairman of the Sitnasuak Native Corp., says crews on Monday hooked the hoses to a pipeline 550 yards from the tanker.

The city of 3,500 didn't get its last pre-winter barge fuel delivery because of a massive storm.

Without the Renda's delivery, Nome would run out of fuel long before the next barge delivery is possible.