Cook Inlet maritime risk ideas ranked

An advisory team examining ways to reduce the risk of oil spills from vessels transiting through or near Alaska’s Cook Inlet recently prioritized its list of ideas.

The team is part of the Cook Inlet Risk Assessment project, which involves the Kenai-based Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Tesoro, which operates a refinery at Nikiski and receives shipments of crude oil via tanker, is among the sources of funding for the risk assessment.

The Cook Inlet Risk Assessment Advisory Team met Feb. 22 in Anchorage and recommended eight measures for immediate implementation, or continuation. Among them: improve vessel crew training; improve winter rules for navigating in Cook Inlet ice; improve spill response equipment appropriate for Cook Inlet conditions; maintain depth through dredging, especially at Knik Arm Shoal; and expand cell phone coverage in the inlet.

The team determined eight other ideas merit further evaluation, such as enhanced vessel monitoring and communication; improved ice monitoring capabilities; increased rescue towing capability; and construction of a cross-inlet oil pipeline, which could eliminate tanker shipments.

The team also recommended dropping several ideas from further consideration, such as removing out-of-service oil and gas platforms and subsea pipelines. “Removal cannot be required until leases expire,” the team noted.

The Cook Inlet Risk Assessment project next will refine its list of priority risk reduction options and establish a plan for further evaluation, a March 6 press release said.

More information is available at www.cookinletriskassessment.com.

—Wesley Loy