Coast Guard working to improve PWS communications

The USCGC Fir. (Sept. 23, 2019) Photo by Zachary Snowdon Smith/The Cordova Times
The USCGC Fir. (Sept. 23, 2019) Photo by Zachary Snowdon Smith/The Cordova Times

U.S. Coast Guard officials are working with a new Alaska Native communications firm to try and reduce intermittent VHF-FM radio issues critical to mariners within the 3,745 square mile area of Prince William Sound.

Remote site maintenance for Prince William Sound and areas of Southeast Alaska connected to the Coast Guard via Channel 16 is now contract with Silver Mountain Construction LLC, an 8(a) certified company wholly owned by CIRI Services Corp., said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Scott McCann. Silver Mountain, a subsidiary of CIRI, an Alaska Native regional corporation, is prepared to head out to the three remote Channel 16 sites in Prince William Sound as soon as weather conditions allow, he said. They were a total of 10 Channel 16 sites down as of Dec. 31, McCann said. 

A decision to commit to another sole source 8(a) contract was made to avoid any overall disruption of service, he said. The previous sole source 8(a) was awarded to a Virginia-based subsidiary of NANA Regional Corp.

The Coast Guard has a total of 34 sites for Channel 16 and it is rare for all of them to go down in one area, as has happened in Prince William Sound.

As efforts to get these sites up and running continue, the Coast Guard is relying on Good Samaritans to help out. 

“We cannot be everywhere at once, so we always rely on mariners to help each other out and assist others,” McCann said.

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Meanwhile Cmdr. Scott Smith, chief of response for Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, is urging mariners to listen more carefully to Channel 16 and relay any possible distress calls to the Coast Guard via other means, like HF radio, satellite communications and cell phones.

“If you’re venturing out into the Sound via boat, carry multiple means of communication, travel in a group if possible, file a float plan with a responsible party and rehearse how to handle emergencies,” Smith said.

Coast Guard officials said the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Mustang would initially provide a patrolling Coast Guard presence to reduce the current lack of coverage, but given the size of Prince William Sound, boaters and commercial mariners are all encouraged to be extra vigilant.

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