ALASKA WATERS

Oldest Coast Guard Vessel Decommissioned

The U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned its oldest vessel, retiring the cutter Storis with eight rings of a bell and the playing of taps in a gymnasium at the Kodiak Coast Guard Base. About 70 Storis crew members wearing dress blues stood at attention during the ceremony to retire the 64-year-old icebreaker. About 200 invited guests also attended. Storis crews have boarded 7,500 vessels, saved 250 lives, kept 25 vessels from sinking, assisted 100,000 people and traveled 1.5 million miles. The Storis has been patrolling Alaska waters since the late 1950s. Capt. James M. McCauley, commander of the Storis, thanked Kodiak for the town's hospitality as homeport. McCauley's last outing with Storis was a 54-day patrol in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. All 54 days were completed without a single day out of service. Hallmarks of the Storis career include sailing the North Atlantic during World War II, when the ship was the command center for a fleet that prevented Nazi Germany form establishing a foothold on Greenland. This was a critical part of the war effort, Brooks said, because weather stations in Greenland helped predict weather patterns in Europe. In the late 1940s, the ship supplied medical aid to Alaska villages while patrolling Southeast Alaska waters. In 1957, Storis sailed the Northwest Passage in a historic trip to survey a deep water route. The route was needed to help protect North America's Arctic Coast during the Cold War.

12 of 20 Cruise Ships Cited for Pullution

According to a report from the Anchorage Daily News, an analysis by state regulators shows that more than half of the cruise ships that discharged wastewater regularly into Alaska waters received citations. The analysis shows 45 tests on wastewater violated permit levels for pollutants. The most common violation was for ammonia, found in urine. (Source: Anchorage Daily News)

Crowley's DH Petroleum Barges Deployed to Western Alaska

Crowley Maritime Corp. is deploying two new double-hulled, combination deck cargo and tank barges this week in Western Alaska. The DBL 165-1 and DBL 165-2 barges left Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash., earlier this month and made a brief stop in Seward for final outfitting of equipment - including hoses, lines, pumps and other gear - necessary for operating in Western Alaska. The barges are expected to load their first cargoes of petroleum products in Bristol Bay this week and will

Alaska Files Civil Suit Against Royal Caribbean

Alaska filed a civil suit on Aug. 13 against Royal Caribbean Cruises, accusing the company of dumping oil and other hazardous wastes into state waters after the firm pleaded guilty to federal criminal pollution charges. Royal Caribbean pleaded guilty last month and was fined $18 million for 21 felony counts of violating federal water pollution laws in areas ranging from the Caribbean to Alaska’s Inside Passage. Attorney General Bruce Botelho said the state filed a civil case in Superior

Coastal Transportation Pays $412,101 in Fines

Coastal Transportation, Inc., a Washington-based owner of cargo vessels, paid the State of Alaska $412,101 to resolve violations of Alaska oil pollution prevention laws. The payment was for the company¡¦s operation of vessels in Alaska waters without approved Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plans and the required proof of financial responsibility. The State became aware of the illegal operation when a Coastal Transportation vessel

Alaskan Ferry Sustains Damage

The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is cooperating with U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Juneau to investigate and evaluate structural damage sustained to the ferry Fairweather Thursday (December 16) in Southeast Alaska waters. Fairweather sustained damage by waves during a regularly scheduled voyage from Haines to Juneau late Thursday afternoon. The vessel carried 101 passengers at the time, including the commanding officer of Marine Safety Office Juneau

NASSCO, BP Hold Naming Ceremony

Caroline Shorten Conn, spouse of Iain Conn, BP Group Executive Officer, smashes ceremonial bottle of champagne on the hull of the Alaskan Navigator, the third Alaska-Class double-hull oil tanker being built for BP Oil Shipping Company, USA. On Saturday, November 12, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO. www.nassco.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, joined BP p.l.c. in naming the Alaskan Navigator

Study Backs Up Cruise Industry’s Commitment to Environment

The results of two recent environmental studies regarding cruise ship wastewater discharge provide new and significant scientific insight into the low environmental impacts of cruise ship operations on the marine environment. Two independent yet interrelated studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) provide a major step in understanding the environmental impact of cruise ships.

Coast Guard’s Largest Ice Breaker To Visit Juneau

The Coast Guard cutter Healy and crew is scheduled to stop in Juneau for a port call October 24-27. The ship departed Seattle June 13 to begin its Arctic cruise. The Healy crew circumnavigated the North American continent on its cruise. The crew and scientists on board conducted numerous science operations. Some of the science operations included studying the effects of the freshwater flux from the Arctic into the North-Atlantic

Discharges From Cruise Ships Have Minimal Impact in Alaska

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) released a Report