Alaska

Sunken vessel releases oil, fuel into Kuskokwim River

Published

1 year ago

November 2, 2023

Sunken vessel releases oil, fuel into Kuskokwim River

BETHEL, Alaska (KTUU) – A tug boat has sunk in the Kuskokwim River’s Steamboat Slough area near Bethel.

The 61.7-foot-long tug boat Frances Snow sank on Oct. 30 about 2.37 miles southeast of Bethel according to a situation report issued Wednesday by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC). On their website, owner Vitus Energy describes it as a “hybrid push boat/landing craft built to solve the many freight and fuel delivery challenges in the coastal and interior Western Alaska.”

The report states that a sheen was observed on the Kuskokwim River around 3 p.m. Monday by a member of the Bethel Search and Rescue team, and it was determined to be coming from the Steamboat Slough. Around 5:30 p.m. that evening, ADEC reported the sheen and a sunken vessel to the National Response Center and began to coordinate remediation efforts with the United States Coast Guard.

Evidence of contamination in the form of a silver and rainbow sheen was observed ADEC reports that an unknown amount of diesel fuel, engine oil, and hydraulic fluid was released into the waters of the river from the vessel with a maximum fuel capacity of 2,500 gallons. Vessel owner Vitus Energy estimates the Frances Snow was holding 250 to 300 gallons of diesel fuel and 10 gallons of hydraulic fluid at the time of its sinking.

Absorbent booms were deployed to contain the fluids leaking from the vessel, and absorbent sweeps were towed through any areas of Steamboat Slough with noticeable contamination.

Vitus Energy reported the cause of the sinking to be a crack in the vessel’s hull on the starboard side, approximately an inch and a half in length.

Teams from the Department of Environmental Conservation, the United States Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Vitus Energy are working to remove the submerged vessel and contain the source of contamination.

The vessel will be hauled out at the Bethel City Dock, where it will also be assessed to determine the total amount of released fuel, oil and fluids.

While the incident does not delay deliveries of fuel to communities upriver, it does highlight the precariousness of fuel deliveries in remote areas or locations only accessible through waterways. A spokesman for Vitus Energy said that due to a shortage of qualified crew members, the costs of barge deliveries have “increased dramatically.”

“While this incident does not raise costs to the region, overall costs related to our challenging environment must be passed on,” Justin Charon said. “We expect the delivery price in Western Alaska to increase 20% over the next few years.”

The spill occurred in an area of the river that is also within the boundaries of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge and in an area where the majority of land is under Alaska Native stewardship. ADEC reports most of the region’s waterfowl have migrated out of the region, making it unlikely that the animals would traverse contaminated water.

Subsistence hunters depend on the resources of the Kuskokwim, including an ample supply of chum, coho, Chinook, pink and sockeye salmon, whitefish, sheefish, lamprey and pike species. The subsistence fishing conducted at this time of year is usually done by setting gillnets for some whitefish and blackfish species, which may be affected by the spill.

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Alaska

80 mph, 90 mph and higher: Here’s a rundown of peak gusts recorded across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm

Published

1 hour ago

January 13, 2025

Press Room

80 mph, 90 mph and higher: Here’s a rundown of peak gusts recorded across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm

By Anchorage Daily News

Updated: 2 hours ago Published: 3 hours ago

A downed spruce tree partially hangs over Lake Otis Parkway during the windstorm on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Here’s a list of peak wind gusts measured at various locations by the National Weather Service across Southcentral Alaska in Sunday’s storm. Crews were working Sunday evening to restore electricity to thousands of people in Anchorage and the Mat-Su.

Gusts of more than 60 mph were recorded at various locations across the region, with gusts exceeding 80 mph at several locations on the Anchorage Hillside and higher elevations.

High winds, rain batter Anchorage and Mat-Su, with power outages reported across region

The readings were collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures, the weather service noted. Not all data listed are considered official, the weather service said. See the full list here.

Anchorage

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport: 62 mph

Merrill Field: 66 mph

Lake Hood: 59 mph

JBER – Elmendorf: 69 mph

JBER – Fort Richardson: 73 mph

Northeast Anchorage: 75 mph

South Anchorage: 75 mph

Glen Alps: 84 mph

Potter Valley: 91 mph

Bear Valley: 110 mph*

Arctic Valley: 107 mph*

Glenn Hwy Eagle River Bridge: 88 mph

Glenn Hwy S Curves: 62 mph

South Fork Eagle River: 86 mph

Birchwood Airport: 53 mph

Bird Point: 75 mph

Alyeska Weather Station: 112 mph

Alyeska Summit: 99 mph

Portage Glacier: 84 mph

Matanuska Valley

Palmer Airport: 67 mph

Wasilla Airport: 47 mph

Fishhook: 47 mph

Duck Flats: 6 mph

Susitna Valley

Willow: 36 mph

Eastern Kenai Peninsula

Seward Airport: 51 mph

Kenai Lake: 33 mph

Granite Creek: 25 mph

Seward / Sterling Hwys (Y): 42 mph

Whittier Airport: 60 mph*

Western Kenai Peninsula

Kenai Airport: 53 mph

Soldotna Airport: 39 mph

Kenai Beach: 46 mph

Sterling Highway at Jean Lake: 64 mph

Nikiski: 36 mph

Anchor Point: 31 mph

Homer Airport: 46 mph

Homer Boat Harbor: 42 mph

Seldovia Airport: 41 mph

Eastern Prince William Sound

Cordova Airport: 73 mph

Cordova Marine Ferry Terminal: 74 mph

Valdez Airport: 25 mph

Valdez Port: 23 mph

Thompson Pass: 47 mph

Copper River Basin

Gulkana Airport: 56 mph

Chitina: 37 mph

Denali Hwy at MacLaren River: 38 mph

Eureka: 36 mph

Kodiak Island

Kodiak Airport: 52 mph

Kodiak – Pasagshak Road: 61 mph

Akhiok: 45 mph

*Denotes site stopped transmitting wind data following report of highest wind gust.

“Observations are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official.”

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Alaska

Alaska Airlines faces heat after UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets removed from flight: 'Shame on you'

Published

13 hours ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

Alaska Airlines faces heat after UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets removed from flight: 'Shame on you'

Alaska Airlines is getting called out on social media after a clip surfaced showing a famous UFC fighter get into a dispute on-board until he was escorted off his flight. The video shows Russian hall of fame athlete Khabib Nurmgomedov debating airline staff in the U.S. while he was sitting in the exit row on the plane.

The video of the incident, which reportedly took place at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Saturday, shows an employee telling the 36-year-old mixed martial artist he either has to switch seats or get off the plane. “They’re not comfortable with you sitting in the exit row,” the worker added.

“It’s not fair,” said Nurmgomedov, who was reportedly flying to Los Angeles, to which the worker replied, “It is fair. Yes, it is.”

Nurmgomedov explained that when he was checking in for the flight, he was asked he if knew English, to which he said he did. The airline worker responded, “I understand that, but it’s also off of their judgement. I’m not going to do this back-and-forth. I will call a supervisor.”

The employee reiterated the athlete could either take a different seat on the plane, or staff could “go ahead and escort” him off the flight. She asked “which one are we doing?” and then replied to Nurmgomedov saying they were going to have to rebook him on a different flight.

Across social media, people have been calling out Alaska Airlines asking why they had him removed from the plane. Many called for others to boycott the airline, and some claimed the staff were profiling Nurmgomedov, who is Muslim.

“Why did you remove Khabib from your plane? His fans need to know! I hope he sues you,” an Instagram user wrote on the airline’s most recent post.

“Are you aware of who Khabib is? His legacy surpasses that of the entire airline,” another chimed in.

“Shame on you, Alaska Airline. We all boycotting them,” a TikTok user added.

“What is the reason!? Because they don’t feel comfortable he’s sitting by a window?” another questioned.

Neither Nurmgomedov or Alaska Airlines have yet commented on the situation.

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Alaska

Experts recommend preparing in case of Southcentral power outages as storm approaches

Published

24 hours ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

Experts recommend preparing in case of Southcentral power outages as storm approaches

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – With a storm approaching and high winds in the forecast for a portion of Southcentral Alaska, experts recommend preparing for potential power outages and taking safety precautions.

Experts with the State of Alaska, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management recommended taking the initiative early in case of power outages due to strong weather.

Julie Hasquet with Chugach Electric in Anchorage said Saturday the utility company has 24/7 operators in case of outages.

“We watch the weather forecast, and absolutely, if there are power outages, we will send crews out into the field to respond,” Hasquet said.

She echoed others, saying it’s best to prepare prior to a storm and not need supplies rather than the other way around.

“With the winds that are forecast for tonight and perhaps into Sunday, people should just be ready that it could be some challenging times, and to be aware and cautious and kind of have your radar up,” Hasquet said.

For the latest weather updates and alerts, download the Alaska’s Weather Source app.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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