Memorandum 15-207 Cook Inlet Harbor Safety Committee Meeting

Memorandum 15-207

TO:                       MAYOR BETH WYTHE & HOMER CITY COUNCIL

CC:                        KATIE KOESTER, CITY MANAGER

FROM:                  BRYAN HAWKINS, PORT DIRECTOR/HARBORMASTER

DATE:                   NOVEMBER 13, 2015

SUBJECT:           COOK INLET HARBOR SAFETY COMMITTEE NOVEMBER MEETING

On November 4, 2015 I traveled to Nikiski to attend the Cook Inlet Harbor Safety Committee meeting, representing Homer Port and Harbor as a voting member.  I also have volunteered to serve on the Navigation and Salvage subcommittee workgroups.  There were approximately 45 persons attending the meeting.  As this was only our second meeting, there are still quite a few organizational topics being worked out.  However, we did hear reports from the Navigation and Salvage workgroups on their first meetings and updates from the USCG, ACOE, NOAA, and ADEC.  The other main agenda item was the 2016 operating budget of $30,000 (covering administration costs), which the committee approved after much discussion.  Fees will be collected from memberships to cover these costs; to-date it is unclear as to what our expected contribution will be.

Cook Inlet Harbor Safety Committee Home Page: http://cookinletharborsafetycommittee.org

“The Cook Inlet Harbor Safety Committee (CI HSC) has been established based on a recommendation from the Cook Inlet Marine Risk Assessment and the desire on the maritime community to have a productive forum for marine safety issues specific to Cook Inlet, Alaska.

The mission of the Cook Inlet HSC is to enhance marine safety and environmental stewardship through collaboration of the maritime community and other stakeholders. The purpose of the Cook Inlet HSC is to provide a forum for identifying, assessing, planning, communicating, and implementing operational and environmental practices beyond statutory and regulatory requirements that promote safe, efficient, and environmentally sound maritime operations in the Cook Inlet.

Maritime safety, accident prevention, and waterways management will be the primary focus of the Cook Inlet HSC. Planning and response to oil spills and hazardous substances is the domain of the Cook Inlet Subarea Committee, but the nexus of prevention and response planning will be considered by the Cook Inlet HSC.

The Cook Inlet HSC will accomplish its mission by developing Standards of Care and best practices for maritime operations in the Cook Inlet waterway. The HSC may act as an education and resource network for the dissemination of information to waterway users. The HSC may provide recommendations to regulatory bodies on maritime safety issues and seek actions to enhance maritime safety.

The HSC will serve as a subject matter expert for Cook Inlet and be the facilitator for bringing together all relevant maritime stakeholders to identify and resolve, when possible, waterway management issues through the adoption of best practices and Standards of Care.”

Recommendation

For Informational Purposes