Arctic USCG Base Needed
By
Mayor Denise Michels
City of Nome, Alaska
The City of Nome appreciates the assistance of Alaska’s Congressional delegation in supporting
the City’s efforts to work with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to establish a Coast Guard
Forward Operating Location (Base) in the Arctic to support the USCG’s Strategy for Maritime
Safety, Security and Stewardship activities. The City of Nome urges congress to consider the City
of Nome as a prime location for a Seasonal Forward Operating Location due to the established
Port of Nome and infrastructure and assets in place. The City of Nome supports the 2009 Arctic
Marine Shipping Assessment Recommendations Report and the State of Alaska’s Northern
Water’s Task Force Recommendations calling for a greater Coast Guard presence in the Arctic.
The City of Nome has a long standing relationship with the USCG and we look forward to this
continued cooperative partnership. The first Coast Guard Life Service Station was established in
Nome in 1905 and ceased in 1949. USCG vessels have continued to use the Port of Nome to
conduct crew changes, personnel shore-leave, and re-supply their vessels with fuel, water and
fresh produce. Nome has first-class facilities with an airport that has a cross-wind runway,
medical facilities, port and harbor, recreational facilities and community structure in place that are
invaluable to the Coast Guard. The USCG Cutter Alex Haley and Munro, and USCG buoy
tenders, Sycamore and Hickory, routinely use Nome for logistical support and shore-leave.
The Port of Nome is a medium draft port, so the cutters with drafts over -22 have to anchor
offshore using small crafts and helicopters to shuttle goods and personnel. The City of Nome has
concept design to expend the causeway out to -35 MLLW to accommodate large vessels such as
the Polar Class and Fast Response Cutters. In the State General Obligation (GO) Bond bill that
will come before the voters has $10 million to expand the causeway. We ask that voters to vote
yes on the GO bond.
The USCG’s Arctic Domain Awareness in 2008 conducted flights along the North and West coast
of Alaska to observe activity in the area; in 2009 the USCG and military partners conducted
Operation Arctic Crossroads utilizing existing City of Nome assets and the facilities of the Army
PO Box 281 Nome, Alaska 99762
www.nomealaska.org
Phone: 907/443-6663
Fax: 907/443-5349
Air National Guard and other military partners. These collaborative efforts were extremely
successful.
With the Polar Ice Cap continuing to shrink, resulting in an expansion of the transit area in the
Northern Sea and Northwest Passage Routes, resulting in more ocean vessel traffic in the Bering
Sea. Arctic shipping has increased with more ocean vessel traffic in both the Bering Sea and
Norton Sound. The Alaska Marine Exchange provided data for marine traffic transiting through
the Bering Strait. In 2009 there were 262 transits; 242 in 2010 and 239 in 2011. This doesn’t
include other smaller vessels for summer adventure expeditions such as kiteboarders, swimmers,
jet skiers and kayaker’s crossing the US/Russian Federation boarder, in the winter there are
expeditions trying to cross the ice by walking, skiing and driving specialized motorized vehicles.
The Port of Nome has recorded increased ocean vessel traffic as documented in port statistical
data. In 1990 there were a mere 34 dockings, which by 2009 had increased ten-fold with 304 port
calls, for the 2011 season there were 296 port calls. This includes fuel, bulk cargo, gravel and
equipment barges, cruise ships, government ships, and research and exploration vessels. The peak
time of port activity is when vessels are transit through the Bering Strait as they pass through
Nome on their journey to explore the outer continental shelf (OCS). Since 2008 three to four
vessels on the average completed the transit through the Northwest Passage and stop in Nome to
resupply. Adventure cruise ships that transit through the Northwest Passage use Nome as a port of
call, and in 2009, The World stopped in Nome and are scheduled again this year. Cruise ships also
make ports of calls between St. Lawrence and Diomede Islands from the Port of Nome.
Miscellaneous pleasure craft vessels, mostly foreign-flagged, also stop in Nome.
A historic, first-ever winter refueling event occurred in Nome this past January with delivery
occurring through a hose over ice. To assist in the operations the USCG set up a Forward
Operating Base (FOB) within City of Nome facilities. They also partnered with the State of
Alaska’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, sharing resources located in the Armory
(SUSV’s and snow machines). The Coast Guard was able to utilize the Army Air Guard’s
Hangar to park the HM-65 helicopter, along with adequate parking available on the adjoining
tarmac for the C-130. In winter conditions, including record cold temperatures, the community
quickly pulled together all resources necessary, in short order, to make the fuel transfer a success.
Nome has proven our ability and capability to render the needed resources to support the Coast
Guard’s mission. Establishing a permanent FOB in Nome would enhance the Coast Guard’s
ability to perform its missions in Alaska and the Arctic within a shorter response time.
This year’s 2012 USCG “Arctic Shield” mission is based on Shell’s operations to explore and
drill in the Arctic. Shell plans to have 22 vessels supporting their activities. Next year there will
be two oil companies conducting exploration and the following year, indications are three
companies have scheduled exploration activities. The fourth year we may see a Canadian firm
passing the Bering Straits to their get to their 200-mile limit exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for
exploration. These activities will create yet another huge increase in traffic if they are successful
in obtaining their permits, possibly doubling ocean going vessel traffic in the very near term. The
City of Nome continues to reach out to those exploration and oil companies providing information
and services the City of Nome/Port of Nome and what the business community can offer.
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The City continues to advocate to Congress to provide additional resources to assist the United
States Coast Guard, and we strongly recommend that the Coast Guard establish a seasonal
Forward Operating Base (or Location) in Nome. We are seeing a definite trend – where our
waters are ice-free earlier in the year and freeze later in the season. With the USCG FOB located
in Nome, it will provide the Nation with critical nodes for Homeland Defense and allow an
increased security presence in the Arctic. Nome is a prime location to allow more timely
emergency response and to monitor environmental concerns. The closest USCG base is in
Kodiak, Alaska.
The Port of Nome can serve as a port of refuge/place of refuge for medium size vessels and is a
prime location to allow the USCG to respond to emergencies more quickly in the Bering Sea and
Arctic.
The gold rush is on with the price of gold averaging $1600 an ounce and the successful airing of
“Bering Sea Gold” on the Discovery Channel; the City of Nome is in a very unique position
within the State of Alaska relative to offshore lease sales in state waters for suction gold dredging.
In 2011 DNR lease sales netted the State over $9 million. This was in an area where in 1996 there
were only 3 dredges operating offshore, for the 2012 mining season there are 80 dredges with 30
support vessels and 3 mining research vessels specifically for gold mining. The interest in this
opportunity is rapidly growing we are seeing a massive influx in these dredging vessels. There
continues a need for USCG personnel in Nome for boating safety and environmental enforcement.
The region’ CDQ, Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, has a healthy fishing
industry, there are 21 vessels registered for this crabbing season along with subsistence activities
happening in the Norton Sound waters. That number does not include any vessels in the Norton
Sound waters such as Unalakleet, Elim, Golovin, Shaktoolik, and Savoonga, on the St. Lawrence
Island where the halibut fishery is very successful. Many of these vessels are 20 to 30 miles out in
the ocean. At anytime there will be 3 to 10 small skiffs for subsistence activities from the
surrounding villages in the Norton Sound and Bering Sea waters. There is enough data to prove
the need for more USCG presence in the Arctic with all ocean vessel activities.
If you compare the lower 48’s western coastline, there are numerous based and stations between
Washington State and California, we view this as the same coverage area that is needed for
Western Alaska’s coastline from Kodiak to Barrow and beyond. The northern Bering Sea, Norton
Sound and ocean waters along the Kuskokwim and Yukon deltas aver very busy with multiple
ocean vessel traffic. If we don’t include Nome, Alaska there will be a huge gap in adequate
response time for the Northern Bering Sea and Norton and Kotzebue Sound waters.
There have been a few near misses; a fuel barge broke loose during high seas last summer. The
fuel company was prepared and was able to dispatch a second barge to bring it under control from
Nome. An adventure kayaker required assistance and was plucked out of the ocean and brought to
Nome. Over 10 years ago two small skiffs left Wales heading to Little Diomede and one
disappeared in rough seas. While conducting traditional whaling practices one boat out of
Gambell also disappeared in rough seas.
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The City of Nome continues to collaborate with the 17th Coast Guard District to assess Nome’s
offerings and to identify and document the needs for USCG support. An Arctic Base will support
and enable our country to protect our expanding economic fisheries interests. An immediate and
important benefit of this investment will be the increased efficiency in rural Western Alaska
logistical support and would improve our capability to provide our Nation with critical nodes of
Homeland Defense/Security presence in the ever growing Arctic Domain.
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