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Outdated Maps Could Have Caused The Champion Ebony To Run Aground

When the Champion Ebony, a tanker hauling 14.2 million gallons of fuel, ran aground near Nunivak Island, it was relying on nautical charts of Alaska’s costal waters  that may have been outdated. 

Meera Kohler, president of Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, says this could have been devastating to Southwest Alaska. 

“Well, I would be horrified. I lived in Cordova when the Exxon Valdez went aground, and it defined our lives forever," Kohler said. 

AVEC ships millions of gallons of fuel along the Alaskan cost each year, but this ship was not one of theirs.

The Champion Ebony ran aground on a shoal 10 miles from shore on Friday. But that shoal was not on the map the crew was using, says a maritime executive familiar with the grounding.

Officer Tim Smith with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says NOAA has been working to update maps in this area but it hasn’t happened yet.

“Some of the waters there are from the ’50s. Some are from the early 1910s," Smith said. 

Smith says this process can be difficult in Alaska, which means huge takers can be relying  on maps over a 100 years old, dating from before the development of modern ocean mapping techniques.

The Champion Ebony, carrying fuel belonging to Vitus Energy, was doing what’s known as a lightering, when a vessel carrying fuel sits in open water while smaller ships collect its cargo. Lightering is common in Western Alaska, where Nome is the only deep-water port that can accept large ships.

All of these ships are using NOAA data to chart their courses, says Officer Smith.

“What’s on our chart is the best available sounding data that’s been collected for the region," Smith said. 

Smith says that though NOAA is working hard to fix this issue, Alaska’s unique climate makes it difficult.

“Just the nature of Alaska means we have a short survey window, depending on the region you're working. The further north you go, you have to wait for the ice to clear out and the weather conditions deteriorate faster," Smith said.

The cost guard says they'll keep investigating. In the meantime, the Champion Ebony has dropped its anchor and won’t be going anywhere.