Arctic directory 2020: Colville completes milestone fuel delivery to Prudhoe Bay

Petroleum News

Colville, an Alaska-based company providing logistics and fuel transport services for the North Slope oil fields, said Sept. 16 that it received a barge delivery of 3.5 million gallons of ultra low sulphur diesel fuel ahead of another busy season in the oil fields. Crews offloaded the fuel into storage tanks at Colville’s Deadhorse tank farm, completing what is believed to be the largest-ever delivery of fuel to Prudhoe Bay by barge.

This barge delivery follows a similar operation in 2018 that successfully delivered 2 million gallons of USLD. Fuel for North Slope oil field operations is typically delivered via the 500 mile Dalton Highway aka “the haul road” from Fairbanks. Colville trucks make 2,000 such trips each year, each hauling nearly 10,000 gallons of diesel. The barge delivery is equivalent to 370 round trips each saving 1,000 miles of overland transit.

The barge fuel delivery was prompted by the increased demand due to exploration and other activity in the North Slope oil fields. “This operation is a reflection of broader communication with our oil field customers, allowing them to proactively develop their exploration and operational plans. We listened to our customers and responded,” said Dave Pfeifer, Colville president & CEO.

Pfeifer says that Colville will continue to consider additional barge deliveries of fuel in the future, however, they will not replace the trucking operation.