US Coast Guard and Russia’s Marine Rescue Service sign joint plan to combat pollution

The US Coast Guard and Russia’s Marine Rescue Service have signed on to a joint plan to combat pollution in the Bering and Chukchi seas, according to a press release from the Coast Guard’s Alaska district.

On February 1st, Acting Director of Russia’s Marine Rescue Service Andrey Khaustov and the Coast Guard’s Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Scott Buschman signed the 2020 update to the Joint Contingency Plan- a bilateral agreement on a combined response to pollution incidents in waters between the US and Russia.

This updated version of the plan, titled The Joint Contingency Plan of the United States of America & the Russian Federation in Combating Pollution on the Bering & Chukchi Seas, outlines a system for planning, preparing, and responding to pollutant spills in the shared waters, with a particular focus on communication and coordination between the two organizations.

Such coordination is of particular importance in the trans-boundary waters, which are well known for severe weather and limited resources with which to respond to pollution.