News Bulletin 1410
20,000 tankers loaded at Alyeska’s Marine Terminal

ANCHORAGE, AK – Alyeska Pipeline celebrated a landmark on August 14, 2009 as the Polar Resolution became the 20,000th tanker to load with Alaska crude and depart the Valdez Marine Terminal.

The milestone came 32 years after the Arco M/V Juneau grabbed the distinction of being the first tanker to load at the Terminal, departing August 1, 1977. In the early pipeline days, production soared and tanker milestones came quickly. On June 13, 1979, Arco M/V Heritage was the 1,000th tanker loaded at berth. By the end of 1980, marine tanker Thompson Pass became the 2,000th tanker to load. And by 1988, as production peaked at 2.1 million barrels per day, 8,000 tankers had loaded at the Valdez Marine Terminal.

”This is a significant achievement for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System,” said Valdez Marine Terminal Director Kathy Zinn. “For the past 30 years, our goal has been to conduct each transfer operation with high standards of safety, reliability, and spill prevention. We are proud of the important role we play in the nation’s energy infrastructure.”

Today, TAPS supplies the nation with approximately 14 percent of its oil supply. Many aspects of pipeline operations have evolved and changed over the years – from overhauls of pump station infrastructure to advancements in technology. But the process of loading tankers hasn’t changed.

Before oil is transferred to a tanker, crews place protective boom around the tanker and berth to shield the water and environment in the case of a spill. Any ballast water on incoming tankers is removed, and crude oil loading begins, using a gravity-based system to get the oil from the storage tanks into the tankers. The process takes up to 24 hours.

In total, more than 15 billion barrels of oil have passed through the pipeline and the Valdez Marine Terminal, adding billions of dollars to the state’s economy, creating jobs for generations of Alaskans, and helping to meet the nation’s energy needs.

For further information, contact Michelle Egan, Alyeska Corporate Communications Director, at 787-8870.

For more information on Alyeska, visit the company’s website at www.alyeska-pipe.com.

Source: Alyeska Pipeline Service Company