The Nome Port Commission is considering new restrictions on long-term vessel and equipment storage as growing freight traffic puts pressure on limited space around the Inner Harbor.
Commissioners used a special work session Thursday to meet with port staff and users to discuss the shared use of uplands near the Inner Harbor ramps. The discussion centered on the lower industrial pad on the west side of the harbor and the East Industrial Gravel Ramp.
Port Director Joy Baker said the conflict has grown as both Nome’s home-ported fleet and the amount of cargo moving through the port have increased.
“The vessels that are there in the summer are impacting the ability to stage freight for shipping out throughout the region and take freight in,” Baker explained to open the meeting.
Baker said the original operating pattern was relatively simple. Vessels used the harbor during the summer, leaving the uplands available for cargo operations, then came out of the water for winter storage. That arrangement has become more difficult as some vessels remain on land throughout the busy, ice-free summer season.
“It’s just posed an operational conflict, and we’ve got to find a workable solution,” Baker said.
A city list shows 15 items have been stored on the property for more than five years. Some, including a dragline crane, have not been used in over a decade. Baker said the owners have mostly kept up on their storage bills, but that there are some that port staff need to “chase a little bit”.
One proposal would prioritize space near the ramps for vessels that are regularly operating. Boats coming out for the winter would generally be positioned along the outside of the storage area when possible, while some of the largest vessels could remain in the center because of the difficulty of maneuvering them.
Under a draft framework, vessels would generally be expected to return to the water the following season. Owners could seek a one-year waiver for repairs, maintenance or another approved reason. Commissioners have also discussed whether certain circumstances could justify a second year.
Harbormaster Lucas Stotts said the goal is to make better use of the limited footprint rather than simply increase revenue.
“We don’t want to reach the point that we have to deny customers,” Stotts said. “We want our space to be used efficiently.”
The commission meeting had an unusually high number of attendees. After some opening remarks from Baker and Stotts, Port Commission Chair, Jim West, Jr. invited the attendees to weigh in on the proposed changes.
Several alternatives were offered, including moving stored vessels closer to the armor stone along the south side of the lower pad, clearing abandoned equipment and increasing storage rates the longer an item remains on port property.
Stotts and Baker explained that ports across the state have adopted different solutions to the same problem. Some place hard limits on storage, while others increase rates for vessels that remain on land for extended periods. Baker cited Wrangell and Cordova as examples of communities with escalating long-term storage rates.
Port user Joe Burnham said a sliding rate could give vessel owners flexibility for major repairs, which can take more than one short Nome construction season to complete.
“The majority of people are going to be out for repairs and back in,” Burnham said. “It might take a season to do it. You know, you got short seasons up here.”
Commissioner Gay Sheffield said the central question is keeping working space available as port activity grows.
“Those boats should get the priority because they’re working on the water and they need to be pulled out and they need to be in the water,” Sheffield said.
Several attendees said substantial space could also be recovered by cleaning the south side of the industrial pad and removing equipment or vessels that no longer have a clear use.
One of the more difficult examples is the Dugong, an older vessel that the city acquired through impoundment. Port staff said disposing of the vessel is complicated by its size and potentially hazardous materials.
One attendee suggested derelict vessels like the Dugong could be burned in place, rather than carefully –and expensively– moved to another part of town.
The room’s attention shifted toward West, who also serves as chief of the Nome Volunteer Fire Department.
“That vessel was built in the 1940s. It's full of lead paint and asbestos and all kinds of fun stuff,” Stotts interjected.
“Seriously, guys, if you have ideas on how to get rid of the junk stuff, we're all ears,” Baker added.
Stotts said the port has already begun clearing material from the area and identifying owners of stored property. Port staff expect much of the loose debris along the south bank to be removed this fall.
The commission did not settle on a new storage limit or rate structure Thursday. Any new storage requirements would likely be incorporated into the port tariff. Baker said tariff changes require multiple Port Commission meetings with opportunities for user input, followed by a review by the city attorney and two readings before the Nome Common Council. She said that process would likely mean new rules wouldn’t take effect until February or March at the earliest.
