Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 23, 2005 22:34:06 GMT -5
Southeast groups seek clarification on cruise ship rules
The Associated Press
Published: March 23rd, 2005
Last Modified: March 23rd, 2005 at 10:12 AM
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard has proposed new rules to protect cruise ships and other boats from terrorist attacks.
But now fishing groups, floatplane operators and cruise lines are among many businesses trying to understand what effect the rules would have on marine traffic in the tight channels and small harbors of southeast Alaska.
"It's definitely going to have an impact, but we are not sure to what extent," said Mike Stedman, operations director for Wings of Alaska, an airline that launches floatplanes near Juneau's cruise ship docks.
The new rules would create a 100-yard security zone around ships carrying more than 500 passengers while they are in transit and a 25-yard zone when they are moored or anchored.
The Coast Guard would require boats operating within 250 yards of cruise ships to comply with speed restrictions and other navigational traffic orders.
Coast Guard Lt. Gary Koehler, chief of port operations for Southeast Alaska, said his agency would provide exemptions to the rules in cases where they create a bottleneck or restrict commerce.
That's important at Ketchikan's small harbors, said Rick Erickson, operations manager for the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska.
"We need to be able to figure out, within each of the ports, how this will impact the cruise lines," he said.
If the new rules restrict public or commercial use of the harbors, "it becomes everyone's problem," Erickson said.
The proposed rules are the latest in a series of federal security measures for boats and harbors across the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
"The threat of maritime attacks is real as evidenced by the attack on the USS Cole and the subsequent attack in 2002 against a tank vessel off the coast of Yemen," wrote Jim Olsen, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, in the March 9 Federal Register.
"It's pretty much a national initiative," Koehler said. "Most areas with cruise ship traffic either have (security zones) in place or they are working on them."
Koehler said he realizes the rule will present some difficulties in Southeast Alaska, where there are narrow entrances to some harbors and tight shipping channels.
The Coast Guard will enforce the rules with on-scene patrols and penalties will range from a warning to criminal prosecution, Koehler said.
Kirby Day, director of shore operations in Juneau for Princess Tours, said the rules need some clarification.
"In the little communities we have, a lot of small boats approach ships in the harbor," he said.
Kathy Hansen, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Fishermen's Alliance, said some fishing vessels would have trouble maintaining a 100-yard distance from cruise ships in certain Southeast Alaska waters.
"There are a lot of places where cruise ships pass gillnetters within 100 yards," she said.
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Information from: Juneau Empire, www.juneauempire.com
The Associated Press
Published: March 23rd, 2005
Last Modified: March 23rd, 2005 at 10:12 AM
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard has proposed new rules to protect cruise ships and other boats from terrorist attacks.
But now fishing groups, floatplane operators and cruise lines are among many businesses trying to understand what effect the rules would have on marine traffic in the tight channels and small harbors of southeast Alaska.
"It's definitely going to have an impact, but we are not sure to what extent," said Mike Stedman, operations director for Wings of Alaska, an airline that launches floatplanes near Juneau's cruise ship docks.
The new rules would create a 100-yard security zone around ships carrying more than 500 passengers while they are in transit and a 25-yard zone when they are moored or anchored.
The Coast Guard would require boats operating within 250 yards of cruise ships to comply with speed restrictions and other navigational traffic orders.
Coast Guard Lt. Gary Koehler, chief of port operations for Southeast Alaska, said his agency would provide exemptions to the rules in cases where they create a bottleneck or restrict commerce.
That's important at Ketchikan's small harbors, said Rick Erickson, operations manager for the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska.
"We need to be able to figure out, within each of the ports, how this will impact the cruise lines," he said.
If the new rules restrict public or commercial use of the harbors, "it becomes everyone's problem," Erickson said.
The proposed rules are the latest in a series of federal security measures for boats and harbors across the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
"The threat of maritime attacks is real as evidenced by the attack on the USS Cole and the subsequent attack in 2002 against a tank vessel off the coast of Yemen," wrote Jim Olsen, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, in the March 9 Federal Register.
"It's pretty much a national initiative," Koehler said. "Most areas with cruise ship traffic either have (security zones) in place or they are working on them."
Koehler said he realizes the rule will present some difficulties in Southeast Alaska, where there are narrow entrances to some harbors and tight shipping channels.
The Coast Guard will enforce the rules with on-scene patrols and penalties will range from a warning to criminal prosecution, Koehler said.
Kirby Day, director of shore operations in Juneau for Princess Tours, said the rules need some clarification.
"In the little communities we have, a lot of small boats approach ships in the harbor," he said.
Kathy Hansen, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Fishermen's Alliance, said some fishing vessels would have trouble maintaining a 100-yard distance from cruise ships in certain Southeast Alaska waters.
"There are a lot of places where cruise ships pass gillnetters within 100 yards," she said.
---
Information from: Juneau Empire, www.juneauempire.com