Unalaska upgrades for Dutch harbor fishing fleet: Carl E. Moses boat harbor adds needed infrastructure.

• Author: West, Gail
• Position: BUILDING ALASKA SPECIAL SECTION

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Alaska's commercial fishing fleet faces some of the most rugged weather in the world, often battling up to 60-knot winds and 30-foot waves in the waters of the Aleutian chain. Unalaska offers respite to many of the vessels at its harbor--Dutch Harbor. Unalaska, itself, ranks second on the list of the top 101 cities with the highest average wind speeds, and boasts about 250 days of rain each year. Construction, in this environment, is challenging enough. However, the city and its contractors have recently taken on an even more challenging project: the Carl E. Moses Boat Harbor.

Consisting of an inner harbor, uplands improvements, a new rubble-mound breakwater, floating breakwaters and basin dredging, the new harbor will support the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands fishing fleets, according to John Fulton, Unalaska's assistant city manager. A previous project under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for approximately $26 million, has already completed the dredging and the rubble-mound breakwaters, and will be installing the floating breakwaters this summer. A design/build team of Pacific Pile & Marine and PND Engineers Inc. are preparing to build the inner harbor floats and the uplands facilities.

LONG-TIME COMING

"This project has been in the works for about 15 years," Fulton said. "We have more boats than we have dock space. Our harbor now is designed for about 75 boats. With the pollock, crab, cod and halibut fleets, we have at least double that number that use the port. In addition to the city's funding, we've been able to pull together some federal funding and a State grant, along with a reimbursable bond through the State, to fund this project. The inner harbor is right at $30 million and the floating breakwaters are about $11.5 million. Then we have to build an access road and utilities for about $11.6 million, and we had to purchase some uplands for the project at $2 million.

"The State grant was the first money for this project, and it came through Rep. Carl Moses. That's why it carries his name," Fulton added.

"We currently have a linear dock and boats tie up in layers--rafting. In storms, that can sometimes cause damage," said Tyler Zimmerman, Unalaska's city engineer. "There's also an increased chance for oil or fuel spills because of the rafting of these vessels. The new facilities also will save the fleet time and fuel--they won't need to make the trip to Seattle for repairs or supplies. That's about a...