Information Circular 2017 – 02
Loyalty Program
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the new Loyalty Program. Beginning in 2018, members will receive loyalty discounts based on the number of invoiced vessels who remain with the Network. Each year, members will continue to see these discounts on their vessels; our way of thanking our loyal members as we work to ensure the best price in balance with the most capable resources in meeting U.S. federal vessel response plan regulations for vessel owners and operators operating in the Western Alaska region.
The Board of Directors is also reviewing lowering the overall rates, in addition to the Loyalty Program, upon a review of the annual financial projections of the Network.
ASRC-Energy Services and Network Partnership
The Network signed a contract with the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation – Energy Services (AES), LLC for the exclusive use of their oil spill response equipment located in Nikiski, Alaska. The equipment is valued at over $10 million and adds tremendous response capabilities to the Network program to support vessel owners and operators enrolled with the Network.
This new agreement with AES along with the existing agreement with UIC-Arctic Response Services (UIC-ARS) and our membership with Alaska Chadux Corporation further positions the Network as having the most capable and extensive response resources for Western Alaska.
Teaming Agreements with Salvage & Marine Firefighting Providers
The Network embraces the various teaming agreements it has with several Salvage & Marine Firefighting providers, such as T&T Salvage LLC, Ardent, Global Diving & Salvage Inc., and Donjon-Smit LLC. These agreements solidify the Network’s commitment to work closely with marine salvage providers to help avert and mitigate any damage arising from a vessel casualty.
Fishing Vessel Miss Destinee Oil Spill Prevention & Salvage Operation
Network partners supported Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. during salvage operations of the F/V Miss Destinee that capsized on June 29, 2017 in Marmot Bay, Alaska. Tragically, two individuals died in this incident with two other individuals rescued by a vessel near the 39-foot purse seine vessel Miss Destinee.
Paradigm Marine provided the oil spill response vessel Sea Strike to tow the Miss Destinee as well as act as a support vessel for the salvage operation. Paradigm Marine further provided the tug St. Michael and barge with crane to transport the Miss Destinee. The Miss Destinee was righted and de-fueled, and transported to Kodiak Alaska. The Alaska Chadux Corporation, the Network’s Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO), provided booming support to contain and clean up any residual oil spill during the salvage operation.
Network Capability Exercise
At the request of RADM McAllister, Commander U.S. Coast Guard District 17, the Network, along with its supporting Oil Spill Removal Organization (Alaska Chadux Corporation), provided a briefing on March 31, 2017 on the response capabilities of the Network and Chadux. The briefing included a scenario of a significant marine casualty in a remote area in the far reaches of the Aleutian Islands. The scenario involved a 900-foot bulk carrier running aground, requiring the mobilization and support of considerable oil spill response equipment over 200 nautical miles west of the port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Chadux ably demonstrated its considerable response capabilities and experience to U.S. Coast Guard representatives from Washington, DC, Juneau, AK and Anchorage, AK, and to the State of Alaska representative. Chadux skillfully met its response priorities of Containment, Shoreline Protection, On-Water Recovery, Shoreline Cleanup, Waste Management, and Wildlife Hazing & Rehabilitation. The scenario discussion further highlighted Chadux’s wide-ranging vessel of opportunity program to render assistance, providing the federal and state regulators confidence in Chadux’s ability to respond to an oil spill incident in Western Alaska.
This exercise was unique in that it assumed the vessel grounded without the benefit of the Network’s extensive vessel routing and monitoring system operated by the Marine Exchange of Alaska. In a real event, this 24/7 system would have provided advanced warning of the potential casualty, allowing for active and early coordination with the operators’ salvage & marine firefighting provider and others to potentially avert the assumed grounding.
The Network and its partners continue to exercise all elements of our APC programs in accordance with the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (NPREP) to maintain readiness and look for opportunities to better provide services for our enrolled vessel operators.
Congressional Testimony
The Network President was invited to speak before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation for the U.S. House of Representatives on May 3, 2017 regarding maritime transportation regulatory programs. Affirming the Network’s leadership role in vessel response plan regulations and operating in Alaskan waters, Mr. Buddy Custard testified to the Alternative Planning Criteria issues impacting maritime shipping industries operating in Western Alaska. In communications with congressional members and their respective staffs, they have expressed concerns about the large disparity of response and prevention capabilities among the APC providers in Western Alaska. In particular, policy makers expressed concern about the ability of some APC providers to meet operators’ expectations in their respective vessel response plans. His written testimony can be found here.
Meet the Network
Toni Wisner is the Enrollment Services Coordinator for the Network. She assists companies enroll their vessel(s) into the Network’s compliance program. Toni is usually the first person from the Network that companies work with in enrolling their vessel(s). She has over 30 years of experience working in the maritime industry. Toni’s experience ranges from working in the commercial fishing industry from the Oregon coast to the Bering Sea, being employed on many different types of fishing vessels. She operated her own charter fishing business for over 19 years.
When Toni is not in the office helping companies, she is often underway as a fishing charter boat captain and mentoring the next generation of charter boat captains.