New Cook Inlet tugs arriving soon

Tesoro, which operates a refinery at Nikiski, is bringing upgraded tanker assist tugs to Cook Inlet, says a nonprofit organization that monitors the oil industry.

The tug Millennium Star was scheduled to relieve the tug Vigilant on Jan. 1 at Nikiski, the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council said.

“Along with an ice-strengthened hull for Cook Inlet’s harsh ice conditions and heated decks and tanks, the Millennium Star also has keel coolers, unlike the Vigilant’s raw water cooling system, which was problematic in Cook Inlet’s icy cold waters,” the council said.

Seattle-based Harley Marine Services operates the Millennium Star, while the Vigilant belongs to Crowley Maritime.

It won’t be long before the Millennium Star itself is replaced with another Harley tug, the Robert Franco, now under construction in Washington state.

The Robert Franco is scheduled to arrive in April as the permanent tug in Cook Inlet, the council said.

—Wesley Loy