Unalaska, AKT – This week, Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment team released two reports that study vessel traffic and potential oil spill scenarios in the region. The objective is to ultimately find ways to keep spills from happening in the Bering Sea, and the documents are used by the Coast Guard, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The first of the two reports focuses on vessel traffic. It looks at how many ships are coming through the Aleutian Islands and what commodities they are carrying. It also makes projections that look at what vessel traffic might be like 25 years from now.

The second report models possible accidents and looks at the last damage they could cause if an oil spill were to occur.

Tim Robertson is the co-facilitator for the risk assessment group. He's helping coordinate the reports and working with the advisory panel to complete the final risk assessment. He says there's still plenty of work to be done on the project.

"The next step is to look at the consequences of those oil spills, and see the areas that are most sensitive and most likely to be impacted," he says.

The Risk Assessment advisory panel will be meeting during the following months to review the findings of the reports and discuss the frequency of oil spills, along with reduction measures.