Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil

The Epic Voyage of the SS Manhattan Through the Northwest Passage

Coen Ross

In 1969, an icebreaking tanker, the SS Manhattan, was commissioned by Humble Oil to transit the Northwest Passage in order to test the logistical and economic feasibility of an all-marine transportation system for Alaska North Slope crude oil. Proposed as an alternative to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Manhattan made two voyages to the North American Arctic and collected volumes of scientific data on ice conditions and the behavior of ships in ice. Although the Manhattan successfully navigated the Northwest Passage – closing a five-hundred-year chapter of Arctic exploration by becoming the first commercial vessel to do so – the expedition ultimately demonstrated the impracticality of moving crude oil using icebreaking ships.

"Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil" details this historic voyage, establishing its significant impact on the future of marine traffic and resource development in the Arctic and setting the stage for the current oil crisis.

About the Author

Ross Coen is a historian and the author of "Breaking Ice for Arctic Oil: The Epic Voyage of the SS "Manhattan" Through the Northwest Passage".

Reviews

"A great read – well organized, well written, and fully referenced – providing many lesser known details about SS Manhattan's history and the role it played in the Alaska pipeline debate" – Shelagh D. Grant, author of "Polar Imperative"

"As the discussion of marine travel in the Arctic continues to ramp up, the release of Fairbanks' author Ross Coen's newest book couldn't be timelier" – Arctic Sounder

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