1995
In response to an amendment pending legislation to lift the oil export band in Alaska,
University of Alaska's Marine Advisory Professor Rick Steiner wrote this letter to Senator Stevens,
Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young suggesting they consider introducing an amendment
to the export legislation that would require oil shippers to position two salvage vessels
in Alaska. These vessels would be capable of providing emergency towing to tankers.
Steiner suggested that these tankers be located in Prince William Sound and Kodiak Island
or Dutch Harbor to protect westward shores and to be available to assist disabled tankers
in extreme weather.
1998
After the 1997 Kuroshima grounding in the Aleutians, where about 39,000 gallons of bunker oil was spilled, and the 1998 Hanjin Barcelona / Alaska 1 collision in Dutch Harbor, Steiner wrote a second letter to Senator Stevens stating these incidents exemplified the dangerous vessel traffic situations impacting human safety and the potential for catastrophic oil spills in the Aleutians. He again recommended the need for improved safety measures and the need to commission an Aleutian Islands Vessel Traffic Risk Assessment.
On March 10, 1998, Senator Stevens sent a letter to him stating he had passed on Steiner's recommendations to the US Coast Guard.
Steiner conducted a 20 minute presentation on spill risk in the Aleutians at the ARRT Meeting on March 17, 1998. He moved forward in organizing an Aleutian Islands Vessel Traffic Risk Assessment and Mitigation Planning meeting for April, 3 1998. The goal of the meeting was to address previous vessel causalities and the measures that needed to be put into place to prevent environmental consequences and strengthen human safety efforts. The US Coast Guard declined participating in the proposed meeting.
On April 24, 1998 the US Coast Guard responded to his suggestions stating they agreed in principle with Steiner's recommendations of the value of risk assessments and management but stated that guidelines were already in place through the US Coast Guard's Risk Based Decision Making Guidelines for use by field commanders performing their duties.
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