Anchorage Daily News

Four years ago Monday, disaster struck along the dangerous and heavily traveled shipping route to Asia through Alaska's Aleutian Islands. During one region's frequent gale-force storms, the Selendang Ayu drifted without power before slamming aground and breaking in half. A Coast Guard rescue helicopter crashed into the raging sea, killing six of the ship's crew. Fuel for the ship's engines spewed from ruptured tanks and fouled 70 miles of coastline.

It was a stunning catastrophe, but it was just one of many maritime wrecks and spills in the area.

In 2006, after the Seledang wreck, the M/V Cougar tipped over with a load of nearly 5,000 cars. The crew survived, but the cars had to be scrapped and only through sheer luck was another oil spill avoided. During salvage operations, a worker was killed. Another large ship, the Salica Frigo, was nearly grounded near Dutch Harbor in 2007. It came just 15 minutes from disaster before its engines restarted.

Maritime safety advocates have long argued that the heavily used Aleutian shipping route needs more safety attention. At least 4,500 ships a year sail through the region's most heavily traveled point, Unimak Pass.

But if those ships get into trouble, there's not much help at hand. When the Selendang lost power, no rescue tug in the region was powerful enough to pull the ship to safety. In all the area's many fuel spills, there has never been an effective effort to contain the oil before it spread.

That poor record has to change and the first step is underway, thanks to $3 million in fines paid by the Selendang Ayu's owners.

The money will fund a comprehensive assessment of the region's maritime safety risks, response measures and prevention strategies. A preliminary report from the Transportation Research Board has outlined what the risk assessment should cover, and a multi-agency management team has been selected.

"We seem to be getting slightly closer to addressing the issue, but it's been such a delay," said Whit Sheard, Alaska director for the advocacy group Pacific Environment. "It's been four years and we've only completed the [research board] study on how to do the study."

Figuring out the best safety measures in the Aleutians can be complicated, because international shipping is involved. Most of the large vessels sailing through the area are bound to or from Asia. There are limits to what the U.S. can require of these international vessels if they do not stop in a U.S. port.

Nonetheless, three areas stand out for relatively quick action in the Aleutians.

Frequent gaps in radio coverage intensify the risks, because it is difficult for ships to talk to each other or to outposts on shore. Getting a powerful rescue tug somewhere in the region is critical but it's a challenge, since there isn't enough business for a private firm to justify the huge investment. With so many spills, the area definitely needs some kind of oil spill response network, with supplies staged nearby for quick deployment.

The price of failing to create a strong shipping safety system in the Aleutians is dangerously high. Dutch Harbor, in the heart of the Aleutians, consistently ranks as the nation's top fishing port for tonnage landed. The region's fisheries are a $2 billion a year business.

Most of the Aleutian island chain is so ecologically valuable, it's protected in a national wildlife refuge. Some 40 million seabirds use the region's biologically rich feeding grounds, which also draw hundreds of thousands sea lions, sea otters and fur seals. All this natural bounty is the lifeblood of modern Aleut culture.

Aleuts and other residents bear many risks from busy international shipping traffic but see few direct benefits. They deserve a higher level of insurance against economic, cultural and environmental catastrophe.

BOTTOM LINE: Aleutian waters are hazardous and safety measures are sparse.

2-1-1

An early way to find help

Nobody wants to have to call 9-1-1. But we're glad the number and the help it represents are there to call.

Nobody wants to have to call 2-1-1 either. But we can be glad for that number and the help it represents, too.

2-1-1 is the number Alaskans can call for help with everything from food stamps to debt management, energy assistance to child care, domestic violence to job services. The people who handle the calls don't have all the answers. But they know where to send callers to find them.

If 2-1-1 doesn't work in your area, 1-800-478-2221 will.

And if you'd rather go online, try www.alaska211.org.

The service isn't limited to English. An over-the-phone interpretation service provides help in Yupik, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Hmong, Tagalog and other languages.

Ideally, people will call 2-1-1 long before their troubles get to 9-1-1 critical mass.

Just as ideally, we'll all make sure the aid groups in the 2-1-1 network can deliver the help that callers need.

BOTTOM LINE: 2-1-1 is a good way to find help before a problem turns into an emergency.

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