U.S. Coast Guard keeps eye on Arctic shipping activity

U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen told a group of industry representatives Tuesday that the agency expects to increase its activities within the U.S. territory of the Arctic region.

In recent years, the ice that once choked the Arctic waters is starting to recede due to what scientists believe is manmade global warming. Many government and industry analysts speculate that a yearlong Arctic route to commercial shipping could be available in the region by 2020.

However, many environmental and sovereignty concerns have been raised regarding this potential influx of tankers, containerships, fishing vessels and cruise ships.

For the United States, protecting the waters off Northern Alaska is a top priority. When Gen. George Casey (the Army's chief of staff) is asking about ice breakers, you know you're there, Allen said during the National Cargo Bureau's annual luncheon in Washington.

Allen said the Arctic issue will remain important beyond the Bush administration. We're working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on this while the transition in administrations goes forward, he said.

The Coast Guard recently opened two temporary stations at Barrow, Alaska, which is located at the North Slope's Prudhoe Bay, to determine the possible numbers of equipment and personnel needed to patrol the isolated region. Floating ice, heavy fog and storms routinely hound the region and pose hazards to navigation.

Allen also announced at the luncheon that the Coast Guard was appropriated $30 million to bring the icebreaker Polar Star back into service.

For more details about the future prospects for commercial shipping through the Arctic, read the October American Shipper, pages 73-75.

Source: American Shipper