59 Fall 2025 Proceedings tug-and-barge combinations carrying containerized or bulk liquid petroleum products. Commercial fishing also depends on catchers, processors, and tender ves- sels. Bulk cargoes like zinc, lead concentrate, and other rare minerals are exported via dry-bulk carriers or gold dredging vessels. Tankers regularly deliver refined petroleum products to Cook Inlet facilities and lighter- ing barges in Western Alaska and the North Slope. In addition to cargo, tourists have no shortage of sightsee- ing opportunities aboard smaller passenger vessels, expedition cruise ships, and ferries. All these activities rely on critical vessel traffic in Alaska’s pristine waters. Maritime Economic Activities Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic’s Officer in Charge of Marine Inspection (OCMI) is responsible for enabling domestic and foreign vessels, both inspected and uninspected, to safely perform commercial mari- time activities. To achieve this, the OCMI depends on the subject matter expertise of officers, chief warrant officers, civilian domestic vessel inspectors, enlisted port state control (PSC) officers, and fishing ves- sel examiners. These professionals form the inspections division workforce at the sector. While the sector is based in Anchorage, most inspections require routine travel to remote areas. Day trips by vehicle to Whittier, Talkeetna, and Seward are routine but require up to three hours of travel each way. Other common day trips by air to King Salmon, Naknek, Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, and Prudhoe Bay range from 500 to 1,250 round-trip miles and up to five hours of flight time. Overnight and multiday trips to these same locations are equally com- mon, depending on the nature and extent of the inspection workload. Inspectors must be qualified and well-rounded, as they may be expected to conduct small passenger vessel, tugboat, barge, cargo vessel, and cruise ship inspections within the same trip. With inspec- tors constantly on the move, communication within the division is critical to accomplishing the OCMI’s objectives. I f you have never been to Alaska, it is certainly worth the journey to experience the Alaska Native culture, abundant wildlife, breathtaking scenery, recreational fishing, and sport hunting. Covering about 663,000 square miles, Alaska is roughly one- fifth the size of the continental United States. While approximately 350,000 people live in the larger cities of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau combined, the remaining 400,000-plus residents live and work in remote parts of the state. Many come for employment in commercial fishing, oil and gas exploration and pro- duction, the tourism industry, rare mineral mining, and research. Others have lived in Alaska their entire lives, some families have been here for generations. Regardless of how people arrive, many who come have a hard time leaving. Alaskans’ livelihoods depend on essential cargo transportation to both populous cities and smaller, less accessible communities. While air cargo can pro- vide rapid shipment of essentials, larger shipments and bulk commodities must move through the mari- time transportation system using either cargo ships or Marine Inspections in Alaska by Cwo2 thomas C. thelen Advanced Journeyman Marine Inspector Sector Western Alaska & U.S. Arctic U.S. Coast Guard Crewmembers from the Seven Seas Mariner cruise ship and the Coast Guard discuss fire drills during a mandatory examination on May 26, 2025, while the cruise ship was moored in Whittier, Alaska. Coast Guard photo by LT Alex Duarte
