Unalaska, AK – The Aleutian Island Risk Assessment advisory panel held its first meeting last month. The meeting aimed to help the panel become associated with the risk assessment process.

"It was a meet and greet," explained management team member Coast Guard Commander James Robertson. We were "getting the members of the advisory panel altogether, generally, with discussion on how to get our way ahead so we are all at a unified position as we begin to basically get our hands dirty in the project."

Robertson said the first meeting aimed at making sure all 13 members of the advisory panel were on the same playing field and understood the risk assessment process and all of panel member's diverse perspectives on the issues. Members include subsistence users, land management organization representatives, fishermen, and shipping industry representatives, including the tug and barge industry and large deep draft industry. They wanted to "try to cover all of the various vessel types that are moving through."

Local representatives are Shirley Marquardt and Reid Brewer. Dave Gregory is alternate member. The management team is currently accepting bids for a risk analysis team that will actually conduct the risk assessment. Proposals will be accepted until July 24 and the contract will be awarded by August 17. Robertson said the contractor will attend the advisory panel's next meeting, which will be held here in Unalaska. The panel, the management team, and the contractors will watch a test of the emergency towing system, learn about local conditions, and talk to different stakeholders in the region.

The risk assessment program was created in response to the 2004 grounding and break-up of the Selendang Ayu.

According to the program's website, it aims to produce "a comprehensive evaluation of the risk of vessel accidents and spills in the Aleutian Islands, with the ultimate goal of identifying risk reduction measures that can be implemented to improve the level of safety related to shipping operations in the region."