Nome · Seward Peninsula · Norton Sound

Bering Strait Lifting: Certification Prep for the Nome Census Area

A $399 million port contract has put Nome at the front of Arctic marine construction. In August 2025 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Kiewit the first phase of the Port of Nome Modification Project, and in-water work was expected to start in summer 2026. Around that project sits a region of about 10,000 people (10,046 in the 2020 Census) in the Unorganized Borough, with no borough government; Nome, a city of about 3,700, acts as the hub for Norton Sound and Seward Peninsula villages. Nothing here connects by road to Anchorage or Fairbanks. Operators who live in the region and hold a national certification can compete for work that would otherwise go to crews flown in for the season, and our online courses let them prepare at home.

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What the port expansion involves

Nome's outer basin is only about 22 feet deep today, too shallow for vessels drawing more than roughly 18 feet. The modification project will create a deep-water basin dredged to about 40 feet. Phase 1A, the first of four phases, extends the causeway by 1,200 feet. According to the city's port director, completion of that phase is projected for 2029, with a dredging phase expected to bid in 2026 and start work in 2027.

A job like this means rock placement, sheet and pipe pile driving, dock face construction and heavy rigging from barges and from the causeway itself, all crammed into the Bering Sea's open-water season. Contractors on federally funded marine work expect documented operator certification, qualified riggers and signal persons, and work from vessels on navigable water generally comes under federal OSHA rather than AKOSH. Schedules for projects of this size change, so check current status before planning around them.

Barge season and village construction

Almost everything heavy reaches the region by water during the ice-free months. A regional health facility planning document notes roughly 10 to 12 cargo barges and 8 to 10 fuel barges or tankers making scheduled deliveries to Nome each season, with larger ships anchoring offshore and freight lightered to the dock. In 2012 a November storm stopped the last fuel barge of the year and a Russian-flagged tanker was chartered to break through ice with fuel.

Villages such as White Mountain and Koyuk have no road connection and no dock, so supplies are lightered from Nome and landed on the beach. In summer, roads from Nome reach Teller and Council. School, clinic, water and power projects across the region depend on boom trucks and small cranes that can work off a landing craft or a beach.

A graphite mine on the drawing board

Graphite One's Graphite Creek deposit, north of Nome, has drawn federal interest as a critical mineral source. The company has studied road access from the Teller Highway or the Kougarok Road, with concentrate to be trucked to the Port of Nome in containers. Opinion in the region is divided. If it is built, mine-site lifting would fall under MSHA, though mine contractors commonly still require accredited crane credentials.

Cold, wind and testing logistics

Winter on the Bering Sea coast means deep cold, darkness and storms that pile ice and drift snow. Hydraulic oil thickens, steel becomes less tolerant of shock loading and wind chill shortens safe working time. Questions on wind limits and pre-use inspection have obvious local meaning. For the written exam, online proctoring avoids a trip; for the practical, most candidates fly to Anchorage, with dates set by the certifying body.

Questions people ask

Will the port project hire local crane operators?

Hiring is up to the contractor, and we can't promise a job. A national certification earned before the season starts at least puts you in the pool of qualified candidates.

Who sets crane rules in a census area with no borough?

Crane requirements come from federal Subpart CC, enforced on most construction by AKOSH and on maritime work by federal OSHA. There is no local crane license.

Can village residents enroll as a group?

Yes. Tribes, corporations and employers can enroll several workers; send details through the enrollment form.

Courses suited to local work

  • Mobile Crane

    Study for the NCCCO mobile crane written exams on your own schedule, from a rough-terrain hydro in a Mat-Su subdivision to a crawler on a Kenai Peninsula bridge or a crane barged into a village for the summer.

  • Rigger I

    Get ready for the NCCCO Rigger Level I written exam with lessons on slings, hitches, hardware and inspection, aimed at Alaska workers who hook and unhook routine loads.

  • Signalperson

    Prepare for the NCCCO Signalperson written exam with lessons on standard hand signals, voice commands and radio discipline, for Alaska crews who direct cranes in dark, cold and noisy conditions.

  • Articulating Crane

    Self-paced study for the NCCCO articulating crane written exams, with or without a winch, aimed at Alaska drivers who run a knuckleboom on a delivery truck.

Communities in Nome Census Area

Neighboring areas

Line up your crane certification prep from anywhere in Alaska

Let us know the card you need — operator, rigger or signal person — and the community you work out of, whether that's on the road system or off it. An enrollment advisor writes back with a matching course and a plan for getting your written and practical exams on the calendar.

  • Lessons open around the clock, on any phone, tablet or laptop
  • Practice questions shaped like the NCCCO written tests
  • Help mapping out where and when to take your hands-on practical

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