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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 148 / Thursday, August 5, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
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Marine vessels specifically crew boats are used to transport workers from West Dock to Milne Point if bridges are washed out. Additionally, vessels tugs/barges are used to transport fuel and cargo between Endicott, West Dock, Milne Point, and Northstar from July to September. While the frequency of these trips is dependent on operational needs in a given year, they are typically sparse.
Hilcorp performs several emergency response and oil spill trainings throughout the year during both the open-water and ice-covered season.
Smaller vessels i.e., zodiacs, Kiwi Noreens, bay-class boats typically participate in these exercises; however, future classes may utilize other additional equipment or vessels e.g., the ARKTOS amphibious emergency escape vehicle as needed. ARKTOS
training will not be conducted during the summer, though Hilcorp notes that some variation in activities and equipment can be expected.
Nikaitchuq Unit Eni U.S. Operating Co., Inc., is the 100
percent working interest owner and operator of the Nikaitchuq Unit. The Nikaitchuq Unit includes the following infrastructure: Oliktok Production Pad OPP, Spy Island Drill site SID, Nikaitchuq Operations Center NOC, a subsea pipeline bundle, an onshore crude oil transmission pipeline COTP, and an onshore pad that ties into the Kuparuk Pipeline known as KPP.
Currently, the SID includes 19
production wells, one exploration well on a Federal offshore lease, 14 injection wells, one Class-1 disposal well, and two shallow water wells. The OPP
includes 12 production wells, 8
injection wells, 3 source water wells, 1
Class-1 disposal well, and 2 shallow water wells.
Road access in the Nikaichuq Unit for the OPP, NOC, and KPP are through connected gravel roads from the Dalton Highway year-round and maintained by Kuparuk. Equipment and cargo are brought in from Anchorage and Fairbanks after a stopover in Deadhorse.
Traffic levels vary depending on ongoing activities but do not change significantly with time of year.
Crew and cargo are primarily transported using commercial flights to Deadhorse and then by vehicle. A
helicopter may be used for transportation of personnel, the delivery and movement of supplies and equipment from Deadhorse when the Kuparuk Bridge is unavailable, or in the event of a medical emergency; however, these flights are infrequent. Eni utilizes off-road vehicles Rolligons and other
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track vehicles for both the summer and winter seasons for tundra travel;
however, tundra travel is infrequent.
Primarily, these activities would occur when access to the COTP between OPP
and KPP is being inspected or under maintenance. Eni utilizes off-road vehicles during winter to conduct maintenance and inspections on COTP
and to transport personnel, equipment, and supplies between the OPP and SID
during periods where a sea ice road between the two locations is being constructed. Until the sea ice road is completed, vehicles travel by a single snow trail approximately 6.8 km 4.25
mi.
Two to three ice roads are constructed within the Nikaichuq Unit annually.
These ice roads are typically around 6.8
km 4.25 mi long and 18.3 m 60 ft wide. Traffic occurs at all hours, consisting of a variety of light vehicles, such as pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles SUVs, high-capacity personnel transport vehicles busses, ice road construction equipment road graders, water tankers, snow blowers, front end loaders, and dump trucks, vacuum trucks, and tractor trailers. To build the sea ice road, Eni harvests ice chips from Lake K304 after constructing a 0.3-km 0.2-mi long, 9.1m 30-ft wide tundra ice road. In the past, a short tundra ice road was also constructed and used to access a lake to obtain water for maintenance of a sea ice road, and such an ice road may be used in the future.
Maintenance activities, such as gravel and gravel bag placement along the subsea pipeline, may occur as needed.
Routine screeding is generally performed near barge landings at OPP
and SID. Dredging is also possible in this area, although not likely.
Hovercrafts are used to transport both cargo and personnel year round but generally occur daily between Oliktok Point and SID during October through January and May through July. Crew boats with passengers, tugs, and barges are used to transport cargo from Oliktok Point to the SID daily during open-water months July through September as needed. Eni also performs emergency response and oil spill trainings during both open-water and ice seasons.
Northstar Unit The Northstar Unit is made up of a 15,360-ha 38,400-ac reservoir, and Hilcorp Alaska, Inc., currently operates it. Northstar is an artificial island located approximately 6 km 4 mi northwest of Point McIntyer and 10 km 6 mi from Prudhoe Bay. The water depth surrounding the island is approximately 11.9 m 39 ft deep.

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Thirty wells have been drilled to develop Northstar, of which 23 are still operable. A buried subsea pipeline 58
km 36 mi long connects the facilities from Northstar to the Prudhoe Bay oilfield. Access to the island is through helicopter, hovercraft, boat, Tucker, and vehicle only during the winter ice road season. Routine activities include maintenance and bench/block repairs on culvert, road, and pipelines.
There are no established roads on Northstar Island. Loaders, cranes, and a telescopic material handler are used to move cargo and equipment. Hilcorp exclusively uses helicopters for all aircraft operations around the Northstar Unit, with an estimated 800 landings per year. Crew and cargo flights travel daily from May to January to Northstar Island from Deadhorse Airport. Slingloading equipment and supplies may also occur from May through December.
Pipeline inspections via aircraft are performed once weeklygenerally with no landings. However, once per quarter, the helicopter lands to inspect the end of the pipeline where it enters the water N70.404220, W148.692130.
Only winter tundra travel occurs at Northstar. Hilcorp typically builds several unimproved ice trails to Northstar, including a trail along the pipeline corridor from the valve pad near the Dew Line site to Northstar 9.5
km 5.93 mi; a trail from West Dock to the pipeline shore crossing, grounded ice along the coastline 7.8 km 4.82
mi; two unimproved ice road paths from the hovercraft tent at the dockhead; one trail under the West Dock Causeway WDC bridge to well pad DH3 1.4 km 0.86 mi; and a trail around West Dock to intersect the main ice road north of the STP 4.6 km 2.85
mi. Hilcorp may also construct any number of shorter trails into undisturbed areas to avoid unstable/
unsafe areas throughout the ice season.
These detours may be constructed after March 1st due to safety considerations and may deviate approximately 2346
m 75150 ft from the original road or trail.
Hilcorp typically constructs an approximately 11.7-km 7.3-mi long ice road each year between Northstar and Prudhoe Bay specifically West Dock to allow for the transportation of personnel, equipment, materials, and supplies. This ice road generally allows standard vehicles SUVs, pickup trucks, buses, other trucks to transport crew and equipment to and from the island;
however, Hilcorp may elect to construct an ice trail that supports only lightweight vehicles depending on operational needs and weather conditions.

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