A small electrical fire occurred on a mobile crane at the Valdez Marine Terminal on Monday, May 25, at 11:00 a.m. The fire started in the crane's alternator and was quickly extinguished by on-site personnel using a hand held fire extinguisher. No one was injured and only minor damage occurred to the crane.

The fire occurred when the crane was at Berth One to place the gangway aboard the tanker Chesapeake Trader. No transfer operations were being conducted at the time.

The mobile crane is being used on Berth One on a temporary basis while the berth fixed pedestal crane is being rebuilt. The Chesapeake Trader was off-loading fuel oil at the Marine Terminal.

The two new enhanced tractor tugs being constructed for use in tanker escorts in Prince William Sound will be christened the Nanook and the Tan'erliq. Students from Prince William Sound schools submitted names for the tugs as part of Alyeska's "Name the Tug" Contest.

Jessica Millburn, a senior at Valdez High School, entered the name Nanook, which means polar bear in Inupiat. Gwen Vlasoff, a first grader from Tatitlek, submitted the name Tan'erliq, which means black bear in Aleut. Over 800 names were submitted for the contest by students from Valdez, Tatitlik, Chenega, Whittier, Cordova and Seward.

Vlasoff said she selected Tan'erliq because bears are a familiar part of her life. "I see them and hear them outside my bedroom window all the time," she said. "I like bears and thought that would make a good name for a boat."

Millburn's choice came from careful research. "I checked the internet and found the Coast Guard names their vessels for regions or themes so I thought the Polar Bear was fitting for Alaska."

The two winners will each receive round trip airfare to Seattle for two, along with three nights hotel accommodations and an escorted tour of the shipyard where these vessels are under construction. The tugs are being constructed by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Washington.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company commissioned Crowley Marine to construct and operate the two 10,000-horsepower tractor tugs. The tugs will join Alyeska's fleet of escort vessels used for oil spill prevention and response in Prince William Sound. The first of the two tugs is expected to arrive in Prince William Sound ready for service by first quarter 1999, with the second arriving by mid-1999.

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