Transportation logistics on the slope: moving oil and gas equipment, supplies and workers to various North Slope locations requires a variety of transportation modes. Seasonal changes provide additional access opportunities and challenges.

• Author: Liles, Patricia

A long-time contractor and service provider for the North Slope oil and gas industry, Peak Oilfield Service Co. recently entered a new arena in its Alaska business with last year's purchase of three specialized all-terrain vehicles.

The vehicles are capable of traveling over frozen or thawed tundra without environmental damage, thanks to the large tires or "bags" that spread weight from the load over a wide area, resulting in extremely low pressure on the ground covered.

"It's a fragile environment. The whole idea is being able to move without ice roads, before the ice roads are built," said Patrick Walsh, vice president of Peak.

Peak invested in three tractor-trailer rigs, one which can haul up to 60,000 pounds and two units that can haul more than 100,000 pounds each. Both the tractor and the 50-foot long trailers have motors that drive the vehicles, Walsh said.

The vehicles are built by a conglomeration of manufacturers and are similar to roll-a-gons used in past years on the North Slope.

"We brought them up last year and we've done a lot of testing," Walsh said. "It's a substantial investment like anything else."

Peak decided to buy its own all-terrain vehicles in order to gain "a little more independence," Walsh said, compared to relying only on use of roll-a-gons operated by other contractors. "Quite honestly, in a busy season, their use is subject to availability and that made it hard for us to plan. We could end up having a remote location with no support."

And in today's quick-paced work environment on the North Slope, particularly for winter exploration work that is limited to four to five months of the year, a few hours or even days can be critical.

"As we go out further, the fields that are going to be developed in the future will require a combination of transportation modes ... there's not one solution that fits any one case," Walsh said. "For companies like us, we have to come up with cost-effective methods for transportation ... oftentimes, it takes a combination."

SPECIAL NEEDS OF THE NORTH

Because of the North Slope's distance from other infrastructure in Alaska, its harshly cold climate in winter and the strict environmental standards implemented for work in the area, oil and gas field service contractors utilize a variety of transportation methods and specialized or modified equipment.

Use of the roll-a-gons or all-terrain vehicles to enter remote exploration areas, accessible with drill rigs and other heavy equipment...