Ice-bound Alaska port awaits fuel transfer Residents of the remote Alaskan port of Nome awaited the transfer of much-needed fuel from a Russian ship that battled through some 300 miles (480 kilometers) of Arctic ice to get here. It will remain there until 1.3 million gallons of fuel are delivered to the town of some 3,500 people, which did not get its usual pre-winter oil delivery due to a storm in the autumn. It is the first time such a fuel delivery has been attempted through some 300 miles of ice in the depths of winter, and wind and currents made progress through the ice difficult. "Our goal is that nobody gets hurt, no product gets spilled, we have no accidents -- it's not over until the Renda is out of the ice and headed back to Russia," Coast Guard Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo said. We have a long way to go, keeping an eye on safety and bringing our mission to a conclusion. Petty Officer Sara Francis, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard, has said the fuel transfer was scheduled to begin on Monday after the ice around the Russian tanker had solidified again, making it possible to approach it. Jason Evans, chairman of Sitnasuak Native Corp., the company which contracted the Renda to make the delivery, explained that the price of flying in the fuel would have been too high. "The company could not simply add the cost of flights to the current price per gallon -- around $5.50 -- as we have a competitor in town," Evans said. To fly it in, it would take four flights a day to manage current use levels.