In an op-ed that appeared in today’s Alaska Dispatch News, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft discussed the need to expand the U.S. icebreaker fleet, noting that it the U.S. is currently “one engineering casualty away from being unable to protect national interests, preserve our sovereignty and respond in the polar regions.” He added that […]
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The Maritime Executive today reported on China’s completion of its first 3D seismic survey in the north Barents Sea in the Arctic Circle, noting that the 100-day survey was part of the country’s plans to develop technology and equipment for oil and gas projects under China’s One Belt and One Road Initiative.
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The U.S. Coast Guard today announced that the Cutter Healy would moor in Seward, AK on Aug. 10 following a 39-day “groundbreaking” science expedition in the Chukchi Sea that included 46 researchers from NOAA and the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Among other things, the mission included the discovery of new species of jellyfish in the Chukchi Borderlands, the collection […]
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Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval in 2015 of a revised maritime doctrine prioritizing the protection of the country’s interests in the Arctic, Sputnik News reports on the Russian Navy’s announcement that it will create an icebreaker military vessel fleet that is capable of carrying artillery and missiles. According to the report, the Russian Navy’s first icebreaker in […]
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An article published today in Global News notes that a 47-day Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker trek from Halifax to Norway to the North Pole “could bolster the country’s claim to Arctic sovereignty.” The mission will include scientific research activity and seabed mapping, and the participation of researchers from the European Union and United States. Canada’s Minister […]
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The Associated Press today wrote about efforts of North Dakota’s two U.S. senators to promote the use of Grand Forks Air Force Base to further peace and stability and increase situational awareness in the Arctic. With Grand Forks’ main mission now being unmanned aircraft and home to three models including the long-range RQ-4 Global Hawk, Retired U.S. Air […]
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The U.S. Interior Dept. today announced the release of a final rule applicable to mobile offshore drilling units engaged in exploratory drilling in the U.S. Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The rule includes various requirements including access to source control and containment equipment and a separate relief rig, development of an Integrated Operations Plan, and real-time monitoring of […]
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U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, MD (LA), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Tim Scott (SC), Dan Sullivan (AK), Thom Tillis (NC), and David Vitter (LA) today announced the introduction of a bill (American Energy and Conservation Act of 2016) that among other things would allow Alaska to receive a share of federal revenue generated by offshore conventional and renewable energy leasing and development activity in the […]
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On today’s Morning Edition program, NPR discussed how “a new Cold War is brewing in the Arctic” amid a Russian military buildup in the region that it says “could become the next crisis zone between Russia and the West.” NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly reported from Murmansk on Russian efforts to build new docks to accommodate […]
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A group of 16 national security and foreign policy experts have urged the Obama administration to maintain the Arctic in the 2017-2022 offshore oil and gas leasing program. Signatories including former U.S. Defense Sec. William Cohen, former Coast Guard Commandants James Winnefeld, Jr. and James Loy, and former Supreme Allied Commanders (Europe/NATO) Gen. Joseph Ralston and Adm. James […]
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