Opinions

The Coast Guard's new Kotzebue station is a step in the right direction

Thirty miles off the coast of Alaska sits a volcanic island steeped in history, culture and an extraordinary natural environment. Nunivak Island is home to some 200 people, most of whom are dependent on subsistence hunting. Around 90 migratory seabirds and waterfowl species, some endangered, have seasonal homes on the island and nestle in rookeries along its sand dunes and shorelines.

On June 24, this 50-mile-wide island had another visitor, the Champion Ebony, a 600-foot-long Norwegian tanker carrying more than 14 million gallons of fuel. The vessel was navigating close to shore to lighter fuel to the island on smaller vessels when it ran aground some 10 miles from shore on a shoal. It was able to refloat on its own and move to deeper waters, the U.S. Coast Guard reported, but was being assessed for damage.

The Champion Ebony grounding is as clear a warning as any to date about the dangers of increased vessel traffic in Arctic waters. Local media reported that ship staff were using the navigational charts that indicated they were in safe waters. While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been working to update maps in Alaska's Arctic waters, shipping traffic hasn't waited for the green light to increase its activity. In 2015, 452 ships navigated through the Bering Strait, nearly double the number just five years prior.

So far, attempts to mitigate the risk increased Arctic shipping poses haven't left the meeting table. There is an effort by the Coast Guard to create a 4-mile-wide, two-way shipping route starting in Unimak Pass in the Aleutians and running up through the strait. That route would zigzag around Nunivak and St. Lawrence islands before shooting straight through Arctic waters.

But making such shipping routes law would require more meetings and lots of consensus, including from the International Maritime Organization. And even then, enforcement would be key, something daunting when you consider the massive expanse of water as compared to Coast Guard resources.

Such a shipping route would also not have prevented the incident, as that vessel was not transiting but was delivering fuel to the coastal region, an activity that is relatively common in the region. What is really needed is updated maps for the region, as they provide the best tools for avoiding environmental disasters akin to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

Without accurate marine maps, these massive fuel-loaded vessels are flying blindly through Alaska's waters. Today, some maps commonly employed are using data 50 to 100 years old, when mapping technology was far from accurate compared to modern-day techniques. Mappers say they are working as fast as they can but, given the short season, their window to gather data is small and progress is slow.

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On the brighter side, the Coast Guard recently launched a seasonal home base in Kotzebue, cutting thousands of miles off its responses to Arctic incidents, at least via helicopter. Unlike previous efforts by the Coast Guard in the Arctic, which were driven by industry expansion into the region, this move indicates a long-term commitment by the federal agency to Alaska's Arctic.

That move is a step in the right direction, but more is needed to adequately prepare for the changes in Arctic waters, and the grave danger increased vessel traffic poses. Alaska's northern populations are intimately tied to its coastline and marine creatures through the essential subsistence harvest, which is a necessity both on a practical level and on a cultural level too.

An oil spill like the one that was narrowly avoided in June would unquestionably devastate the region.  If the world is intent on visiting the region with massive cruise ships, cargo ships and oil tankers, our federal government needs to advocate for and protect the region with up-to-date marine mapping, emergency response resources and enforceable shipping lanes that keep vessels from endangering our waters.

Carey Restino is the editor of The Arctic Sounder, where this commentary first appeared.

The views expressed here are the writer’s own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com.

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