The Nome Port Commission is considering new time limits, higher storage fees and stricter relocation requirements for vessels and equipment that have remained on port property for years.
Commissioners discussed the issue during a work session Thursday. The debate focused on large vessels and other equipment occupying the lower industrial pad and the east side of the harbor. Port staff said those areas are growing in value as the Port of Nome Modification Project gets underway.
Port Director Joy Baker said the immediate goal is to protect high-value operating areas near the water from becoming long-term storage sites.
“The objective of the work session is to address the mechanism by which to prevent these what are considered to be ‘dead boats’ from blocking high-value cargo areas, needed to be open in the summer to stage freight,” Baker said.
Watch a replay of the meeting:
Harbormaster Lucas Stotts said the port has limited space for large vessels, especially those that must be hauled out using airbags through the lower industrial pad. Drone footage presented during the meeting showed vessels, cranes, drill rigs and other equipment spread across the city’s property.
According to a list provided by the port, there are 28 items in storage, some of which have been stationary since 2011. The largest is the Tuvli 160 owned by Shawn Pomrenke. The gold miner had ambitions to turn the massive 160 feet long, 44 feet wide barge into a “mega dredge” but ran into troubles getting it seaworthy. The rusty barge has been parked on the east side of the port by the Mini Convention Center since November 2017.
Vessel storage fees are based on length and carry different fees in the summer and winter. The port also charges by the square foot for containers, equipment or materials. The Industrial Park storage space generates about $300,000 for the port a year.
The items currently in storage occupy about one acre, not including some elbow room between them. Commissioner Gay Sheffield questioned whether the revenue from long-term storage was worth the loss of operational space.
“If these guys are just using it because it’s easier for them to chunk out $5,000 than actually move it and get rid of it and sell it or whatever, and we’re just an easy place for them,” Sheffield said. “If the revenue is worth it, I would say find a new place to park, and we’re not in the business of having old cranes and pontoon dredges.”
Port staff said active cargo operations generate substantially more revenue than vessel storage because the port collects fees when freight crosses the dock and when cargo remains on port property.
Commissioner Derek McLarty supported a policy that would generally allow a vessel to remain out of the water for one year, with a possible second year if the owner receives a waiver and demonstrates progress toward repairs or launching.
“You better be making progress. Two years with a waiver if you’re making progress, but beyond that, absolutely no, hard no,” McLarty said. “It’s become a total junkyard down there.”
Commissioner Charlie Lean suggested permit language requiring owners to keep vessels mobile and move them when directed by port staff.
“In the second year of dry storage, you will be required to either put your vessel in the water, or be prepared to move it to a place of our choosing,” Lean said.
The commission also discussed how to handle equipment that may no longer be operable. The city owns one impounded vessel, the Dugong, which staff said needs an environmental assessment before it can be scrapped. Other privately owned vessels and machinery may be difficult or expensive to move because they have deteriorated in place.
Baker said owners of several large vessels and pieces of equipment received letters last winter notifying them that they would be required to move during the 2026 season. She said the city may eventually have to hire contractors to relocate vessels at the owners’ expense if they don’t comply.
Port staff said they will work with the city attorney to draft proposed changes to the port tariff and storage permits. The language is expected to return to the commission for review before being forwarded to the Nome Common Council.
Baker said owners affected by the potential changes will also receive written notice so they can comment before the commission takes further action.
“We’re not trying to troublesome,” Baker said. “If you don’t have a purpose or long-term plan for your vessel, then you’re occupying space we will ultimately need to use when we haul out big vessels for the winter, who do intend to go back into the water.”
