Nome Alaska May Run Out of Fuel

A story about a Russian tanker carrying needed fuel and supplies to Nome, Alaska, that is having problem getting through icy seas. First, some background:

A massive storm prevented the town of 3,500 on the northwestern coast of Alaska from receiving its last delivery of supplies before it was socked in by the unspeakable winter cold.

The town could run out of the fuel it needs to heat and power homes, vehicles, hospitals and schools.  

The Russian tanker is carrying 1 million gallons of diesel fuel, and 300,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline.

A Russian tanker carrying desperately-needed fuel supplies for the far northern Alaskan city of Nome keeps getting stuck in thick ice flows as it crosses the frigid Bering Sea in the dead of winter.

Fortunately, the 370-foot tanker Renda is escorted by a specially-designed Coast Guard ice breaker, the USCGC Healy, whose extra-thick hull is capable of crashing through ice several feet thick.

But that means going is slow. The two ships are covering just five to six nautical miles a day, even though they still have more 300 miles of sea ice to burst through before they can reach Nome.

 According to the story, if successful, this will be the first time the town has been supplied by sea during the winter.