This a photo of the Crowley tug Tanerliq in Port Valdez. The vessel is one of two ocean going ship escort, rescue and oil spill response tugs operated by Crowley Maritime in Prince William Sound. This tractor tug is 155 feet long and currently one the most powerful propulsion tractor tugs in the world. The [...]
As Emmerson says, “Our ideas of the Arctic – permanent, pristine, unchanging – will persist long after they have been overtaken by Arctic change.”
In closing hours of the Bush Administration, new National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directives were issued that address arctic region policy for the United States. A key statement found in the documents reinforces the notion that the United States is an Arctic nation.
With the seasonal transit of the Northwest Passage becoming a reality, an increase in Arctic shipping traffic is inevitable. The energy, shipping and cruise industry all see opportunities for their operations in the Arctic Ocean.
A comprehensive survey of Arctic sea ice shows that shows there has been dramatic thinning between the years of 2004 to 2008. The once dominant and thicker multi-year ice is being supplanted by thinner seasonal ice.
Port expansion, arctic shipping and economic development in the north will be effected by global warming and the opening of the Northwest Passage. My professional interests have historically focused on the Alaskan marine transportation industry. A group of like-minded souls met recently in Whitehorse, Yukon to discuss resource development and transportation challenges in the north. [...]
