CIRCAC installs cameras near Nikiski docks

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

The Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council has funded installation of two Internet-accessible video cameras on a bluff overlooking the Unocal and Phillips Petroleum docks in Nikiski.

The council said Feb. 23 that the project will provide mariners, industry regulators and shipping company representatives a real-time view of the ice conditions in Cook Inlet.

The two cameras are connected to the Internet through a link set up by the National Weather Service at http://camera.arh.noaa.gov/index.html

One of the cameras has infrared capabilities and will provide coverage during periods of low light and darkness. A special access code that allows the viewer to re-position the cameras will be made available to marine pilots, vessel captains, Coast Guard officials and other users of the dock.

The cameras have six settings that provide a full-range view of the Unocal dock and the East Forelands area of Cook Inlet. The Phillips Petroleum dock is also within range of the cameras.

The council said that a third camera has been installed directly on the Unocal dock to record tide levels and current flow information. The images from this camera will be recorded on a VCR and will not be available on the Internet. The information gathered by this camera will be used as a reference source for any future ice monitoring work.

The cameras are being tested to determine if they can provide accurate and useful information about ice conditions in Cook Inlet and around the docks, the council said. Ice has created several problems over the past year for shippers. In January, docks at Nikiski were damaged when ice forced vessels off the facilities, breaking mooring lines and damaging catwalks.

The cameras will be in operation through April.