Revised 14 July 2010

Take home message: Take interest in your freight and responsibility for making sure it arrives. As the shipper, your actions in preparation have the most positive influence on the outcome of your shipping experience.

Detailed notes collected from researcher experience are compiled in an outline for your reference. These notes include some helpful tips for shipping items out of Barrow as well.

You have several choices of carrier and method when shipping materials to Barrow.
Do not send "COD" or "Freight Collect" without prior arrangement and payment.

Researchers wishing to ship freight to BASC via FedEx, UPS, or other private delivery or courier service must use our physical address and telephone number. Be aware that physical addresses in Barrow often do not validate in shippers' electronic databases. Some shippers have different requirements. See below for notes.

When sending freight to Barrow, please send to "BASC" and include a line requesting the attention of the recipient "(ATTN:)" project team leader or principal investigator. Unless previously agreed in writing, do not send to the attention of a BASC staff member.

To give the best science outcome, BASC strongly recommends consulting with and engaging the assistance of people with experience shipping freight to Alaska. Call BASC for help in planning your shipments, or call someone else with experience.

Shipments from outside the United States must be discussed with BASC prior to shipment. It is important that the additional costs and risks with international shipments are managed carefully. BASC can help if we have the opportunity to advise you in advance.

All delivery to Barrow is ultimately by air or sea barge. There are no roads to Barrow. Shipping by air from the source is the option most likely to succeed.

It is critical that you inform BASC of your freight details before shipping.

BASC cannot guarantee any shipping arrangements or freight delivery. We will work with you to maximize success by sharing our wisdom gained through experience. We do not endorse the services of any delivery or courier services over any other.

When arranging shipment with a delivery or courier service, do not assume that delivery will be into the hands of a BASC employee. Call or email BASC to work out the details of your freight transfer to BASC and storage at BASC before you ship.

Email the following to "ship at arcticscience dot org" (replace "at" with "@" and "dot" with ".") after discussing your freight receiving and storage needs with BASC staff.

If you use the USPS, please use the address below. There is no carrier delivery in Barrow, so all parcels will be picked up by BASC staff. We recommend Delivery Confirmation on all packages.

If you use one of the services listed above, please use the physical address below. Note that UPS and FedEx will electronically record your freight as having been delivered to Barrow once it reaches Anchorage, after which it gets turned over to a contract service. It is often impossible to track packages between Anchorage and Barrow using the websites of these services.

Specific Notes about the above carriers:

BASC does not warrant the service of Alta Air Logistics, Bering Global Logistics or any other company for shipping, but researchers have reported good service and results to us for complicated shipping situations.