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Facing a new chapter for Arctic shipping New initiatives look to the opportunities and address the challenges of a more ice-free Arctic Ocean and increased vessel traffic Alan Bailey Petroleum News
As, year by year, the extent of Arctic sea ice continues to decline, the volume of shipping using Arctic waters continues to rise. And with that increase in shipping there has come a growing concern about Arctic shipping safety and the need for an Arctic shipping support services and infrastructure.
During a field hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard on March 27 people representing entities with a direct interest in Arctic shipping presented testimony to U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, describing some Arctic shipping related initiatives that are currently in progress.
Transportation system Helen Brohl, executive director of the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System, or CMTS, told Begich about the steps that her committee has been taking to promote an effective marine transportation system in the U.S. Arctic.
“The United States is an Arctic nation,” Brohl said. “Changing conditions in the Arctic create an opportunity for the United States to develop a new Arctic marine transportation system. Working cooperatively with federal, state, local and tribal authorities, the MTS (marine transportation system) may be sustainably managed to the benefit of all stakeholders.”
President Obama established the CMTS in 2004 as a cabinet-level interagency committee, chaired by the secretary of transportation, to assess the adequacy of the U.S. marine transportation system, to promote the integration of the system with other modes of transportation and to coordinate federal policies that impact the system — Congress institutionalized the committee by statute in 2012, Brohl said.
Arctic action team In 2010 the CMTS formed an integrated action team, led by the U.S. Maritime Administration, NOAA and the U.S Coast Guard, to consider national policies for shipping in the Arctic. And that action team has now published a draft report with recommendations for a U.S. Arctic marine transportation system. That report, which is currently subject to a public review period ending on April 22, has identified 16 elements within five components for an effective system, Brohl explained.
Those components consist of:
•Navigable waterways, including refuges for ships and identified areas of ecological significance.
•A physical infrastructure, including ports and associated infrastructure.
•An information infrastructure, including maps; aids to navigation; communications; capabilities; weather and ice forecasts; and an automatic identification system for ships.
•Response services, including icebreaking and vessel escort.
•Standards for vessels and their crews operating in the Arctic.
With the existing Arctic marine transportation system being in the early stage of development, much public and private funding will be needed to support the future needs of Arctic shipping, Brohl said. And the CMTS recommends an initial focus on improving the Arctic information infrastructure and the Arctic response services, she said.
Vessel tracking In terms of the existing information infrastructure, Edward Page, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Alaska, told Begich that the Marine Exchange of Alaska has implemented an Alaska satellite-based vessel tracking system, largely funded by the maritime industry, the State of Alaska and the U.S. Coast Guard. The system, referred to as an “automatic identification system,” or AIS, is based on a similar system operating offshore California. The International Maritime Organization now requires most vessels engaged in international trade to be equipped with AIS transponders that broadcast the vessel’s location, speed, course, destination and other information by VHF radio, Page said.
Alaska now has more than 95 AIS receiving sites. The system monitors vessel speed restrictions as necessary and also triggers alerts in certain unsafe situations, Page said. Shell has used the system to ensure that its vessels operating in the Arctic do not encroach on restricted areas of the ocean, he said.
The system in Alaska has the capability to transmit safety information such as weather and ice data to vessels, but the regulating agencies have yet to allow this aspect of the system to go into operation, Page said. And it would be beneficial if the Coast Guard were to require all vessels in the Arctic to be AIS capable, rather than just those engaged in international trade, he said.
Arctic ports In terms of Alaska Arctic ports, federal agencies have been pursuing the possibility of establishing a deepwater port that could serve the Arctic region. But Bering Straits Native Corp., the Native regional corporation for the Seward Peninsula area, is concerned about the concept of focusing on just a single port development and would like to see government encouragement for port developments at several sites in the region, potentially using private/public partnerships, Matt Ganley, Bering Straits vice president of resources and external affairs told Begich.
“The extent of the coastline, the lack of intermodal transportation, the extreme environment and the relative absence of sufficiently deep water require a non-centralized, modular approach to infrastructure development,” Ganley said.
The Native corporation is also very worried about the oil spill risks associated with increased vessel traffic and oil industry activities. The corporation wants to see the staging of response equipment in support of plans to protect coastal sites from oil spill pollution, Ganley said. The corporation is negotiating with the federal government for the acquisition of an old navigation site at Port Clarence, for potential use as a response staging and support base, he said.
Food security Jack Omelak, executive director of the Alaska Nanuq Commission, an organization representing 15 coastal villages around northern Alaska, said that his organization’s prime concern is the potential threat of increased offshore activity to the villages’ food security. In September 2012 the commission joined with several subsistence hunting organizations to form the Arctic Mammal Coalition, subsequently sending a letter to the U.S. Coast Guard with recommendations for Arctic vessel management. Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo of the Coast Guard has since responded, expressing an interest in collaborating with the Arctic communities, he said.
Recommendations from the Arctic Mammal Coalition, many modeled on conflict avoidance agreements between the oil industry and Native hunters, include vessel speed restrictions in certain situations and the establishment of protected areas. The coalition would like to see a prohibition on the discharge of vessel waste such as ballast water in the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering seas. And villages would like access to AIS equipment, to enable villagers to monitor the positions of vessels transiting the region. And given the lack of infrastructure and the limited Coast Guard presence, the villages should also have access to emergency response training and equipment, Omelak said.
Arctic policy Eleanor Huffines, manager of the U.S. Arctic program for the Pew Charitable Trusts, said that the United States needs a comprehensive Arctic policy to address the challenges raised by changes in the Arctic region. A policy and plan to balance cultural, environmental and economic interests should include features such as a way of ensuring a meaningful voice for Arctic communities, protection of the ecosystem health and the use of science for decision making, Huffines said. And Huffines presented a list of recommendations that Pew Charitable Trusts thinks could reduce the risks associated with Arctic vessel traffic and with Arctic offshore oil operations.
“The future of the Arctic does not need to be an endless battle over perceived trade-offs between culture, environment and economics,” Huffines said.
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