The Waterways Management (WWM) Division handles the day-to-day waterways issues and concerns that arise in the Western Alaska Captain of the Port Zone, which has the largest area of responsibility in the nation. Responsibilities include drafting and distributing broadcast notice to mariners, safety zones, security zones and marine event permits. The WWM Division oversees all the major shipping waterways in Western Alaska and works with the Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) in Kodiak to manage over 100 ATONS in Western Alaska. Cook Inlet is the lifeline for most of Western Alaska, providing a key route of entry for all goods and products used throughout the region. Cook Inlet also has its own unique challenges presented by its tidal ranges of nearly 30 feet and ice accumulation during 6 months of the year. Located in the Aleutian Chain, Unimak Pass is one of the busiest passes in the world and a key point in the Great Circle Route which is used by ship traffic transiting to or from Asia and Eastern Europe. The WWM Division works closely with various stakeholders and users including: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Alaska Derelict Vessels program, Alaska Port Authorities/Harbormasters, various commercial operators/corporations, various native villages throughout Western Alaska.
Cook Inlet Harbor Safety Committee
Contact:
Waterways Division: (907) 428-4189 or Anchorage.Waterways@uscg.mil
Lightering in Western Alaska
MSIB 07-13 Requirements for Tank Vessels Conducting Lightering Operations in the Western Alaska Captain of the Port Zone
Sector Anchorage Lightering Plan Form
Ice and Severe Weather Guidelines:
Waterways:
MSIB 01-17 Navigation Safety for Vessels Operating in the Naknek River, AK
MSIB 02-19 New Application Process for Restricted Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV) Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) on Inland Waters in Western Alaska
Navigable Waters of the United States Within The Seventeenth Coast Guard District
Marine Event Permits:
33 United States Code, Section 1233
33 CFR Part 100, Safety of Life on Navigable Waters
Marine Event Application
How to Submit a Marine Event Permit Application
General Information for Marine Event Permit Application
Abandoned and Derelict Vessels:
Information about abandoned and derelict vessels in Alaska can be found at: http://alaskacleanharbors.squarespace.com/derelict-vessels/
Abandoned Vessel List
Alaska Vessel of Concern Reporting Form