The Cook Inlet Harbor Safety Committee (CIHSC) was established in 2015 based on a recommendation from the Cook Inlet Marine Risk Assessment and the desire in the maritime community to have a productive forum for marine safety issues specific to Cook Inlet, Alaska.
The mission of the CIHSC is to enhance marine safety and environmental stewardship through collaboration of the maritime community and other stakeholders. The purpose of the CIHSC is to provide a forum for identifying, assessing, planning, communicating, and implementing operational and environmental practices beyond statutory and regulatory requirements that promote safe, efficient, and environmentally sound maritime operations in the Cook Inlet.
Maritime safety, accident prevention, and waterways management will be the primary focus of the CIHSC. Planning and response to oil spills and hazardous substances is the domain of the Cook Inlet Subarea Committee, but the nexus of prevention and response planning will be considered by the CIHSC.
The CIHSC will accomplish its mission by developing Standards of Care and best practices for maritime operations in the Cook Inlet waterway. The CIHSC may act as an education and resource network for the dissemination of information to waterway users. The CIHSC may provide recommendations to regulatory bodies on maritime safety issues and seek actions to enhance maritime safety.
The CIHSC will serve as a subject matter expert for Cook Inlet and be the facilitator for bringing together all relevant maritime stakeholders to identify and resolve, when possible, waterway management issues through the adoption of best practices and Standards of Care.
