U.S. Coast Guard increases Arctic cruises

BARROW, Alaska, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Coast Guard officials say they are increasing their Arctic presence to increase safety in a region of melting icecaps and increasing maritime activity.

Two high-endurance cutters, the 378-foot Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton and the 225-foot Coast Guard Cutter Spar, are seeing their service extended from the Bering Sea into the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, as well as the Arctic Ocean, the Petroleum News reported Tuesday.

"This operation supports the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to extend maritime safety and security to the Arctic region in the face of retreating polar sea ice," a Coast Guard statement said. "There's more water in the Arctic than ever before and the Coast Guard is accountable for its security," said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen.

The announcement follows other recent Coast Guard activity including biweekly surveillance flights along the Chukchi Sea coast since October by Hercules aircraft. In July, personnel, helicopters and response vessels were sent on an evaluation trip for a few weeks to Barrow, at the northwest end of the North Slope, the Petroleum News said.