Can the polar Northwest Passage be used as an oil supply route between the north slope of Alaska and East Coast ports? Three of the world's major oil companies feel that there are good possibilities that it can be used. Next June a test run will be made by the largest U.S.-flag tanker, the 106,500-dwt Manhattan, over the route.
The announcement of the plan was made jointly by the Humble Oil and Refining Company, Atlantic Richfield and BP Exploration, U.S.A. The companies are involved in developing the largest oil field discovered in the Western Hemisphere, an Alaskan deposit that has been estimated to have reserves between five- and ten-billion barrels.
Joseph Kahn, chairman of Seatrain Lines, owner of the Manhattan, said that a successful conclusion to the tests could very significantly affect the future of the United States tanker fleet.
Other tanker operators, who pointed out that the Alaska-continental United States route was a trade reserved to American-flag vessels, said it could mean a doubling or even a tripling of the nation's tanker fleet.
M. A. Wright, chairman of the Humble board, said the ship venture was part of a broad program of studies designed to get Alaskan oil to markets. The companies are also studying the economics of overland pipeline routes, one of which is currently nearing completion to southern Alaska.
The Manhattan, built six years ago for the Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, is 940 feet long and capable of carrying 910,000 barrels of cargo. Since Seatrain acquired it, the vessel has been employed largely in the grain trades.
The oil companies' program calls for extensive modifications to be made on the vessel. In addition to strengthening the hull and installing an icebreaker bow, the ship will be equipped with devices to protect her propeller and rudder from ice floes.
The vessel will be converted by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pa., with work starting this month. The conversion work is scheduled to be completed in June.