Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2015)

GOVERNMENT UPDATE

Arctic Coast Guard Forum

Eyes and Ears Up North

BY DENNIS BRYANT n October 30, 2015, at the on 21 October 2014, an unmanned barge

U.S. Coast Guard Academy carrying about 950 gallons of diesel fuel in New London, Connecti- broke from the cables of a tug en route cut, the heads of eight agen- Tuktoyaktuk. The barge drifted west,

O cies ful? lling the functions of Coast passing about 10 miles offshore Alaska.

Guard of Canada, Denmark, Finland, The Canadian and US Coast Guard’s

Iceland, Norway, the Russian Fed- monitored the situation, but had no assets eration, Sweden, and the United States available to bring the barge under control signed a Joint Statement formally estab- or to respond in the event of an oil spill. lishing the Arctic Coast Guard Forum The barge was eventually recovered in (ACGF). The ACGF is an independent, Russian waters. On 1 December 2014, informal, operationally-driven organiza- the South Korean trawler Oryong 501, tion. It is not bound by treaty, but will with 62 persons on board sank in heavy work in cooperation with the Arctic weather in the northwestern Bering Sea

Council to foster safe, secure, and envi- off Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula. Seven ronmentally responsible maritime activ- persons were rescued by other nearby ity in the Arctic region. It will facilitate vessels, but 55 died. The Russian Bor- consultations of the heads and experts der Guard in Kamchatka requested assis- (U.S. Navy photo/Released) of the members, exchange information tance from the US Coast Guard, which

Sailors aboard the fast attack submarine USS Seawolf (SSN 21) inspect the boat of mutual concern, best practices, ideas launched search planes. Eventually, the after surfacing through Arctic ice. Seawolf conducted routine Arctic operations. and core principles of joint cooperation USCG planes were replaced by planes of development, and joint practical mea- the South Korean Navy.

sures on maintaining safety and security in the North Paci? c, joint ship patrols major cruise line announced that it plans

The United States has no deepwater combat illegal high seas driftnet ? shing. at sea. to send one of its non-ice-strengthened ports in the Arctic, the nearest deepwater

Decreasing thickness and coverage Members conduct two annual meetings: cruise ships through the Northwest Pas- port being at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, part of ice in the Arctic region has led to an a meeting of subject matter experts to sage during the summer of 2016. Other of the Aleutian Island chain. The hamlet increase in shipping, ? shing, resource discuss technical issues and a meeting passenger vessels have occasionally of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, of senior personnel to address strategic made the transit in recent years, includ- exploitation, and adventure tourism, is- has a partially protected port opening sues that the new IMO Polar Code will and over-arching issues. There will be ing two in 2015. to the Beaufort Sea. There are several two working groups: a secretariat and help address. While Russia has the most Maritime operations in the Arctic are deepwater ports on the east side of the extensive government presence in the re- a “combined operations” group. Plans not (or at least should not) be for the Northwest Passage, but they are lacking gion, no Arctic nation is fully prepared called for the Arctic Coast Guard Forum faint of heart. The waters are not well in infrastructure. Greenland has various to address the anticipated changes. De- to have been created in Canada in 2014, charted. Aids to navigation are minimal deepwater ports, but these too lack sig- but the Harper government balked due to to nonexistent. Search and rescue capa- mands for improved and expanded chart- ni? cant infrastructure. Iceland’s capital the Ukraine situation. bility is sorely lacking, as are salvage as- ing, aids to navigation, search and res- of Reykjavik has an excellent deepwa- cue, and pollution response far outstrip There is an operational oil production sets. On 27 August 2010, the passenger ter port and signi? cant infrastructure, as current capabilities of any one nation. platform in Russia’s Barents Sea, while vessel Clipper Adventurer grounded in does Norway’s port of Tromsø. Sval-

Cooperation of ACGF members will another is under construction in Arctic Coronation Gulf, Nunavut while on a 14- bard, the Norwegian archipelago in the waters of the Norwegian Sea. Explor- day cruise through the Northwest Pas- ameliorate those shortages to some ex- Arctic Ocean, has an excellent deepwa- sage. It had struck an uncharted rock in ter port, but is lacking in infrastructure. tent. The arrangement also puts meat on atory drilling in the Chukchi Sea recent- the bones of the 2011 Arctic Search and ly stopped, but further drilling in Arctic otherwise deep and open water. The ship

There are a number of seaports in the

Rescue Agreement, negotiated through waters could resume when the price of was holed and stuck on the rock. While Russian Arctic, but only Murmansk and the Arctic Council, and provides a way oil rises. Mining ashore in coastal areas there were no injuries, there was minor Arkhangelsk have signi? cant infrastruc- pollution, in addition to severe damage ture.forward for the Council’s Task Force on of the Arctic regions of Russia, Green- land, Canada, and Alaska continues to the ship. A Canadian Coast Guard ice-

Arctic Marine Oil Pollution Prevention. Russia is developing a search and res-

The Arctic Coast Guard Forum is apace with the attendant maritime trans- breaker on patrol in the Arctic arrived on cue capability as it builds up its military modeled on the North Paci? c Coast port operations. While shipping through scene two days later and safely evacu- infrastructure in the Arctic, particularly

Guard Forum established in 2000 and the Northern Sea Route across the top of ated the 128 passengers and some non- on the islands of Franz Josefs Land. essential crew. The vessel, though, was Ten search and rescue centers along the the North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum Russia has decreased recently, it contin- established in 2007. These fora meet ues and will undoubtedly grow when ice not re? oated until 14 September. Fortu-

Northern Sea Route are envisaged. The coverage recedes. The Northwest Pas- regularly to share strategies, conduct ex- nately, fair weather prevailed during this US Coast Guard provides limited search ercises, and coordinate operations to ad- sage across the top of Alaska and Canada entire period. One should not count on and rescue capability in the Chukchi and such good fortune during future marine Beaufort Sea regions during the sum-dress transnational threats such as drug recently saw the ? rst transit of bulk car- and migrant smuggling. Particularly go from British Columbia to Europe. A casualties in the Arctic. During a storm mer as part of its annual Arctic Shield 10 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • DECEMBER 2015

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