Kodiak Port expansion to benefit clients and economy: investment expected to save crews time and money.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: TRANSPORTATION/CONSTRUCTION

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On April 24, Kodiak City Council unanimously approved the purchase of a 600-metric ton mobile boat hoist for the Port of Kodiak. Six stories tall and able to lift ships 180 feet long out of the water, this hoist is just one part of a harbor expansion plan that is expected to provide greater access and efficiency to ships that use the port, as well as major economic benefits to the surrounding community.

"The mobile hoist is phase three of the port expansion project and the one I'm most excited about," said Marty Owen, harbormaster and port director, City of Kodiak. "The port has never had a large boat-lift facility available despite the fact that we have the largest big-boat fleet on the West Coast. We had no way to get these boats out of the water for repair or general maintenance, which means that our customers had to go to Seattle, Newport, Oregon or somewhere in Canada to get this work done."

The mobile hoist, estimated to take 18 months to construct, should be operational in Kodiak in approximately two years. In the meantime, port and city officials and workers will be busy refurbishing the entire port to better meet the needs of its users.

PHASE ONE

In 2005, the Port of Kodiak finished the refurbishment and lengthening of its main deep-water dock, known as Pier II--Fisherman's Terminal or the City Dock. This dock, which provides access to large government ships, large fishing vessels and the Alaska State Ferry M/V Kennicott among other vessels, was extended by 500 feet in each direction, and the north end was completely replaced. Now 1,100 feet long, the multi-use dock will service cruise ships, including the recently added 600-foot Tahitian Princess from Princess Lines. This year, Kodiak expects 15 cruise ship landings, twice the number they've had in past years.

"Without increasing the length of the dock, we wouldn't be able to accommodate all of these landings otherwise," said Owen, who added that all of the work was completed in one summer.

PHASE TWO

This summer, workers at the port plan to replace 38 110-foot slips in St. Herman Harbor, including the M float, which holds the bulk of the big-boat fishing fleet. Estimated at $10 million, the project began in May, though it actually has been five years in the making.

"Last year I wrote a state grant for $5 million, which we received as the first money made available by the state through the municipal matching-grant program," explained Owen.

This grant program...