Crowley Fuels Completes Extensive Renovation of Kotzebue Dock

“The dock is important infrastructure for Kotzebue and the entire region; all goods come through here,” says Siikauraq Whiting, a lifelong Kotzebue resident.

Jed Dixon, project manager in Crowley’s facilities engineering department, notes, “In most ports in Alaska, docks like this are publicly owned. In this case, the dock is privately owned and operated by Crowley, but it is also used by commercial and contract carriers. That puts the responsibility on Crowley to maintain infrastructure that is a rare hybrid: privately owned, but effectively a public good.” 

Planning for the Future

Faced with the growing danger of a catastrophic failure of its dock, Crowley Fuels, with consultation from PND Engineers, started evaluating options in 2017.

As part of the planning process, Crowley met with local government, Alaska Native organizations, community members, and other groups that could potentially be impacted by the project.

“I really appreciate Crowley and their outreach. Not every entity will put in the effort to get community input,” Whiting says. “The dock belongs to Crowley, but it is part of the community.”

‘We Need to Make Sure People Are Safe’

Safety—namely visibility and emergency access—was a top concern voiced by community members. In response, Crowley erected 40-foot light poles with three industrial-strength LED light fixtures to illuminate the ends of the dock. Ladders were also installed in three areas along the dock face, providing safe access to and from the water.

“The entire neighborhood will benefit from the project with the extra lighting the dock has provided during the winter months. Typically, there is not a lot of light in the area, so the 40-foot lights added much more of a safety measure,” Whiting says.

Protecting the Sound

Protecting the waters and wildlife of the Kotzebue Sound was also a top priority for Crowley. “The Kotzebue Sound is extremely important to the communities on its borders. Seventy percent of the food people hunt, fish, and gather comes from the Sound. It is a critical part of people’s way of life and nutrition,” says Alex Whiting, director of the Native Village of Kotzebue’s Environmental Program.

Before construction could begin, Crowley worked with PND Engineers and the National Marine Fisheries Service to form a marine mammal management and mitigation plan to minimize negative impacts.

The plan included establishing marine mammal observer posts during construction and shutting down work temporarily if animals came within 10 meters of the worksite. Crowley also took steps to minimize the effect of construction noise on marine mammals and monitored both the underwater construction activity noise and the sounds of animals transiting in the area.

“The project seems innocuous as far as impact to the marine mammals,” Alex Whiting says.

Expanded Dock, Expanded Opportunities

The multi-million-dollar new dock follows the same footprint as the current one, while building over it, expanding out by 30 feet, and securing it by driving 40-foot long sheet piles into the sea floor.

“That makes it a very strong structure,” Dixon says. “When you have the sheets driven deeply enough into the seafloor, the current isn’t going to get under the structure to undermine it.”

The design offers many benefits. For example, building the dock 30 feet out into deeper water allows access for larger vessels, which “improves operational flexibility for Crowley, and opens up opportunities to the community for future economic development,” Dixon says.

The expanded design also creates new space on the upland side of the dock, providing additional area for cargo operations, and a wider buffer to separate vehicular and pedestrian access from Crowley’s working area, enhancing safety for all.

With winter on its way, Crowley wrapped up the dock expansion project on schedule in mid-October. With thoughtful planning, quality construction and proper ongoing maintenance, Crowley expects the new dock to stand ready to serve the community for the next 30 to 50 years.

“It’s an investment Crowley is making back in the community,” Dixon says. “We’re here for a long time.”