News from Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council

Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council

8195 Kenai Spur Hwy., Kenai, AK 99611

(907) 723-7222; 800-652-7222 (toll free); 907-283-6102 (fax)
www.circac.org

Cook Inlet Navigator

January 2013

In This Issue

Tesoro delivers ice-worthy tugs

Board hears from Buccaneer

AOOS launches response tool

Cook Inlet Maritime Risk Assessment

The Cook Inlet Maritime Risk Assessment Project Team is looking for public input in identifying risk mitigation or reduction measures.We welcome all of your risk reduction option ideas through the website or by email. Recommendations are being accepted until early February. Click here for more information and to comment.

OSG: "Committed to continuing safe operations without interruption"

Eric Smith, Vice President of Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG), briefed the Council on OSG's crude oil tankers under long-term charter to Tesoro Alaska. At our request, he also explained the details of OSG's reorganization. Smith invited the Council to review OSG's financial documentation on their website.

Dear Friend of Cook Inlet,

Happy New Year! We go into 2013 with renewed commitment and energy to protect and increase our knowledge of Cook Inlet's enormous resources. With an appreciable increase in oil and gas activity in the Inlet, we are mindful of our mission to represent Cook Inlet citizens in promoting environmentally safe marine transportation and oil facility operations in the Inlet. For our Dec. 7th Quarterly Board Meeting, we requested updates from several key industries: Buccaneer Energy Alaska, Tesoro Maritime, and Overseas Shipping Group. We're pleased to share those briefings with you, along with status reports of other initiatives, such as the Cook Inlet Risk Assessment and Cook Inlet Response Tool.

Tesoro delivers ice-worthy tugs

As planned, Captain Marc Bayer, Tesoro's General Manager of Shipping, briefed the Board at the quarterly meeting on their plans for new tugs in Cook Inlet. Following the grounding of the Seabulk Pride near Nikiski in 2006, Cook Inlet RCAC passed a resolution pressing for tugs in Cook Inlet. Even though not required by U.S. Coast Guard regulations, Tesoro Alaska agreed that Cook Inlet's conditions posed a significant enough navigational risk to warrant tugs with ice class capabilities and added them to their operation's arsenal of protective measures. Read more.

Buccaneer fields questions from board

Since Buccaneer Alaska's Endeavour-Spirit of Independence jack-up rig has been docked in Homer, Cook Inlet RCAC's focus has been on ensuring the rig meets the highest safety, construction, and operational standards before being allowed to commence its Cook Inlet operations at the Cosmopolitan site. To that end, we have been in continuous contact with state and federal regulators, including the U. S. Coast Guard, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, and the Alaska Departments of Environmental Conservation and Natural Resources.

Last year, the Council requested Buccaneer Alaska deliver an overview of its Cook Inlet operations at our December 7th Board Meeting and to answer questions about the rig's structural integrity and its ability to respond to a blow-out scenario. Read more.

AOOS launches response tool

Cook Inlet RCAC joined forces with the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) to develop the Cook Inlet Response Tool, or CIRT. CIRT links data served by AOOS--such as real-time weather and oceanographic sensors, wind and ocean circulation models, and biological resources--to ShoreZone data and imagery collected by Cook Inlet RCAC and our partners. This information is crucial for improving oil spill prevention and response efforts. For example, the Unified Command working on the Kulluk Tow Incident has successfully accessed detailed coastal habitat data and high resolution coastal video served on the CIRT website to aid in the response. You can try it out yourself here.

Lynda Giguere
Director of Public Outreach
Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Counci
(907) 398-6205

Email us
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Visit us online.

Please visit our booth at the following events:

Jan. 11 - Meet Alaska Conference & Tradeshow (Anchorage)
Jan. 21 - Alaska Marine Science Symposium (Anchorage)
Jan. 31 - Industry Outlook Forum (Homer)
Feb. 08 - Alaska Forum on the Environment (Anchorage)