Unique equipment ensures year-round delivery in Alaska

Specialized equipment like PistenBullys, pictured above, are utilized in difficult winter conditions.

With fall on the horizon, Lynden companies will soon finish summer barge deliveries of building materials and equipment to Western Alaska villages and other remote Arctic communities. From hovercraft, landing craft, all terrain forklifts, and barges with ramps for unloading on shallow beaches, Lynden’s specialized equipment is used to make deliveries that keep customers’ projects on track, support the seafood businesses, and supply residents with essentials.

Around October when rivers freeze and marine routes close, Lynden trucks travel on snow roads and frozen rivers, like the Kuskokwim. Hercules aircraft, amphibious hovercraft, PistenBullys, and other specialized equipment also help keep freight moving.

“Most carriers specialize in one mode of transportation,” says Lynden Transport VP Alaska Sales Paul Friese. “Lynden combines marine, highway, air, and specialized off-road equipment into one integrated network. As Alaska changes with the seasons, we change how we move freight.”

Lynden Transport and Lynden Oilfield Services coordinate and deliver groceries for Alpine, Willow, and Exploration camps – all snow/ice road dependent – west of the Colville River in Alaska. “Groceries are a high priority item as camps are opening for the season and crews are arriving for winter construction and drilling,” Paul says.

Daily grocery pickups are consolidated at the warehouse in Anchorage where crews build 53-foot trailer loads for each destination. The trailers travel 850 miles to Prudhoe Bay. During the early part of the winter before the ice roads open, service partners transfer the freight onto Rolligons for the final trip across snow. After the ice roads open, Lynden Oilfield Services moves the loads to the four distribution hubs serving the camps.

Planning for the seasonal change begins months in advance with Lynden meeting with its business partners and their suppliers. Along with groceries, Lynden companies move fuel, oilfield equipment, construction materials, and other supplies needed to support winter drilling and construction.

Temperatures below -40°F can temporarily halt Rolligon travel, but daily coordination and load planning between the camps and Lynden Oilfield Services Prudhoe Bay Operations Managers Jesse Burget and Ander Traver keep freight moving. “Our level of delivery and customer service doesn’t change when the seasons change,” Jesse says. “Our customers count on us to keep their operations running, and that’s what we do.” When those winter roads thaw in the spring, Lynden transitions again. Lynden Air Cargo flies groceries and other essential freight directly into the camps, ensuring deliveries continue without interruption.

“Whether freight arrives by Lynden barge, truck, aircraft, or specialized offroad vehicle depends on the season. What remains constant is our ability to connect those transportation modes into one year-round network that keeps Alaska’s communities, businesses, and industries supplied,” Paul says.