Thule Air Base News

The U.S National Ice Center (USNIC) in coordination with the Office of Naval Research, Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy, the Danish Joint Arctic Command, Environmental and Climate Change Canada and University of Washington deployed buoys into the Arctic Ocean during a joint mission. The joint mission was conducted to collect weather and oceanographic data to enhance forecasting and environmental models thereby reducing operational risk for assets in the Arctic. "Polar lows are like hurricanes of the north and the data collected from these buoys will help us with numerical weather prediction, which will help to keep our and our partner forces safe," said Cmdr. Ruth Lane, Commanding Officer, U.S. National Ice Center.

The Royal Arctic Line has contracted Polish shipyard Remontowa to build 5 ships to be delivered in the first half of 2015. The building program includes a sister ship to the Mary Arctica. of capacity 606 TEU, which will replace Arina Arctica, and also sail across the Atlantic, while acting as a feeder ship in Greenland. It will also be used for special tasks in the East Coast, Thule Air Base and Antarctica. Two medium-size ships, capacity 100 TEU each to replace the Pajuttaat for annual chartering and will mainly engage in the supply of North Greenland.

Maersk Line, Limited (MLL) has been awarded a long-term time charter of an ice-strengthened tanker to support the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC). The U.S. flag vessel will be able to deliver fuel worldwide and is expected to serve the research center at McMurdo Station, Antarctica and Thule Air Base, Greenland. The award will add a fourth vessel to MLL’s fleet of U.S. flag tankers, and it offers MLL another opportunity to serve a longstanding customer. MLL began supporting MSC in 1983, and has since extended its ship management, technical and chartering services across the U.S. government. The time charter will begin in November 2011, and it consists of a one-year base with four options. The charter will last 59 months if all options are exercised.

Seabee divers from Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 2 Air Detachment Alfa completed successful diving operations at Thule Air Base, , the northernmost deepwater port in the world, Aug. 27. For 600 military and civilian residents, the work of UCT 2 in maintaining the port was essential to their survival. The port, which is open for only 30 days every year, is a critical supply route for the base and supports its space superiority missions which include ballistic missile early warning as well as space surveillance.

In a new era of increased interagency cooperation, the National/Naval Ice Center (NIC), in Suitland, Md., is celebrating a partnership that has been working successfully for over 30 years. The NIC, comprised of the U.S. Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), provides specialized strategic and tactical ice analyses to meet the operational needs of the U.S. government. It is the only ice center in the world that monitors sea ice in both northern and southern hemispheres by producing routine analyses of the Arctic, Antarctic and other ice infested waters. On Feb. 22, past and present staff members and leaders from the three participating agencies will gather to celebrate this unique collaboration.

Marine Fenders International, Inc., a manufacturer of marine fendering systems, was selected to supply our Ocean Guard Netless foam filled marine fender system for the one of the harshest marine environments in the world, the DeLong Pier at the Thule Air Base in Greenland. The Maintain DeLong Pier project is located at the DeLong Pier along the Waterfront. The maximum mean daily temperature is 7° C (44° F) in the month of July, with a minimum mean daily temperature of -29°C (-20° F) in the month of March. The DeLong Pier was constructed circa 1950 and is a prefabricated steel structure 1,000 x 50 ftx oriented in the west-east direction. The pier consists of four steel barge units, each with overall dimensions of 250 x 50 x 10 ft., aligned end to end.