Request for Public Comments on the Draft Assessment and Restoration Plan for Marine Resources Injured by the Selendang Ayu Oil Spill
September 4, 2024
On December 6, 2004, the M/V Selendang Ayu experienced engine trouble and encountered severe weather conditions while traveling through the Aleutian Islands, off Unalaska Island, Alaska. Following attempted rescue operations, the vessel grounded on Unalaska Island and broke in half, resulting in an oil spill.
Under the Federal Oil Pollution Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and four State agencies—State of Alaska Departments of Law, Natural Resources, Environmental Conservation, and Fish and Game—serve as the Trustees responsible for restoring natural resources injured by the oil spill.
Following the spill, the Trustees conducted pre-assessment activities that documented injuries and potential injuries to shoreline habitat, marine mammals, birds, and human uses of natural resources. Due to divergent timelines for the damage assessment for marine resources and the other injury categories, the Trustees developed a draft DARP/EA (PDF, 70 pages) for restoration of marine resources only, which, in this case, refers only to shoreline habitats, including gravel beaches, rocky shores, vegetated habitats, and stream channels and flats.
The Trustees quantified the loss of shoreline habitat services resulting from the M/V Selendang Ayu oil spill and evaluated a range of potential restoration projects to compensate for those losses. To restore lost shoreline habitat resources and services, they identified Aleutian Watch Program and communication upgrades at automatic identification system (AIS) stations as the preferred restoration project. This project would provide 24/7 monitoring of currently unmonitored vessels transiting the Aleutian Island Maritime Area, alert authorities if vessels are potentially in distress or at risk, and upgrade existing marine safety stations with enhanced communications capabilities. This early detection of potential spills with added situational awareness for enhanced response would prevent future oil spills and associated impacts to shoreline habitats of the Aleutian Islands.
Public Comment
The public comment period is open for 30 days, until October 3,2024. The draft DARP/EA (PDF, 70 pages) can be accessed here.
Comments can be emailed to Sarah Allan at sarah.allan@noaa.gov noting "Selendang Ayu" in the subject line.
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