Oil Spill Prevention and Response

Pipeline Oil Spill Contingency Plan

Leak detection systems — provides detection and location of oil spills

Leak alert systems, number -- 4

Leak alert systems, types -- Pressure deviation, flow rate deviation, flow rate balance and line volume balance.

Containment sites — 221 designated

• Located along drainages
• Criteria for selection — accessibility, river velocity, river channel configuration, environmental sensitivity
• Equipment storage - varies per site, includes oil spill equipment, concrete anchors, or underflow dam kits

Equipment 

• Varies at each station;
• Equipment available line wide
  • Boom, containment - 46,700 ft.
  • Boom, fire - 2,150 ft.
  • Store capacity - 22,630 bbl.
  • Boats/Rafts - 35
  • Vacuum trucks - 12
• Mutual Aid Agreements - provides additional equipment and resources for oil spill response.

Personnel

• Pump station personnel trained in oil spill response
• Each pump station has 24- hour oil spill reconnaissance capabilities.

Drills

• Field drills are conducted to evaluate preparedness to react to an oil spill.  The drills permit evaluation of the training program, particularly oil spill skills such as reconnaissance, assessment and response.

Training 

• Training for new employees and a 2-day classroom refresher for existing employees with a minimum of 2 days field training.
  

Valdez Terminal Oil Spill Contingency Plan

Includes comprehensive prevention plan outlining all spill prevention measures taken at the terminal as well as response section describing land and water response for spills originating from Terminal facilities.

Prevention programs on the Terminal —

• Safe Operating Procedures and Practices
• Training Programs
• Substance Abuse Programs
• Medical Monitoring
• Security
• Transfer Procedures
• Overfill Protection
• Corrosion Control Programs
• Preventive Maintenance
• Inspection and Records

Oil Spill Response Operations —

• Equipment — 
  • ship-assist tugs — 6
  • work boats — 10
  • tank barges — 6
    • barge mounted skimmers — 6
    • equipment storage
    • recovered oil storage — 217,000 bbl
  • flat deck barge — 1
    • equipment storage
    • staging area
  • self-propelled skimmers — 4
    • JBF 6001 (Valdez Star) — 1
      • recovery rate — 2000 bbl./hr
      • onboard storage — 1300 bbl
    • JBF 3003 — 2
      • recovery rate — 570 bbl./hr
    • MARCO Class VII — 1
      • recovery rate — 1280 bbl./hr
  • containment boom — over 21,000 feet
  • vacuum trucks — 3
  • vacuum skimmers — 3
  • weir/disc skimmers — 6
  • additional equipment available from SERVS warehouse

Personnel 

• Oil spill response crews available 24 hours/day
• Trained to conduct land and water response operations

A spill from a tanker not at berth or transiting Port Valdez is covered under the Prince William Sound Tanker Spill Prevention and Response Plan. Although a spill from the tanker is the responsibility of the tanker owner, Alyeska has contracted to provide initial oil spill response to those tankers.

Prince William Sound Tanker Spill Prevention and Response Plan

Tankers transiting Prince William Sound are required by the state to have oil spill contingency plans. The Prince William Sound Tanker Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan is a required part of each tanker's individual contingency plans.  APSC/SERVS is the Primary Response Action Contractor responsible for the implementation aspects of the PWS Tanker C Plan.  The prevention portion of this plan requires that each laden tanker transiting Prince William Sound must be escorted by two vessels, one of which must be a specially equipped prevention and response vessel or tug.  Laden tankers are tethered to Escort Tugs from the Terminal through the Valdez Narrows and Valdez Arm. Also included in the plan are speed limits for tankers and weather restrictions.  The Response portion of the plan includes plans for open-water, nearshore and shoreline responses and support operations.

Ship Escort Response Vessels System (SERVS)

• Established — July 10, 1989
• Mission — to prevent oil spills by assisting tankers in safe navigation through Prince William Sound and to protect the environment by providing effective response services to the Valdez Marine Terminal and Alaska Crude Oil Shippers in accordance with oil spill response agreements and plans.

Equipment — 

• Enhanced Tractor Tugs (ETTs) — 2
  • function — currently used in the tethered escort mode during escort operations.  The vessels enhance the ability to assist a disabled tanker.  
  • state-of-the-art, exceptional maneuverability, deployed in 1999
  • Nanuq and Tan'erliq (Alaska Native words for polar bear and black bear)
  • size — approx. 153 ft., 10,192 hp, 70,000 gallons recovered oil storage
  • crew — 7, trained response personnel
  • equipped with — 
    • Voith Schneider propulsion system
    • 2,000 ft. of boom
    • DESMI skimmers
    • 70,000 gallons of recovered oil storage capacity dispersant spray arm systems
    • ABS Class 1 Firefighting rating that includes pumps, monitors, foam, and vessel spray system
• Prevention/Response Tugs (PRTs) — 3
  • function — specially designed for escorting and response service in Prince William Sound.
  • New technology for prevention and response missions by powerful ocean-class tugs, arrival in 2000; Alert, Attentive and Aware
  • size — approx. 140 ft., 10,200 horsepower, Z drives
  • crew — 7, trained response personnel
  • equipped with — 
    • 2000 ft. of Kepner Sea Curtain Boom
    • 2 — DESMI skimmers
    • 20 ft. — Kvichak workboats — 2
    • ABS Class 1 Firefighting rating vessel and spray system.
  • Additional Vessels — 5 including docking tugs, and Endurance, and Emergency Response Vessel.
  • Response Barges — 6
    • Four barges each have 3 open class major skimming systems mounted aboard (2 ea. TransRec 350 and one GrahamRec Skimmers)
    • dedicated nearshore barge — 1, the Responder 500-2
    • lightering barge — 1
    • total storage capacity — in excess of 780,000 bbls
  • Skimmers — more than 100
    • total recovery capacity — more than 75,000 bbls/hr.
    • Skimming capacity — ranges from greater than 3,000 bbls/hr to small systems for operating in shallow water.
    • Valdez Star oil spill recovery vessel — dynamic inclined plane skimming system
      • skimmy capacity — 2,000 bbl/hr. (design)
      • size — 123 ft.
  • Boom — various types
    • Total at SERVS — over 42 miles
  • Response Centers — 5
    • Valdez, Cordova, Whittier, Chenega Bay, Tatitlek
  • Fishing Vessels on Contract (March 2000)
    • core group — 50
    • total contracted vessels — 350
• Prestaged Equipment — 
  • Hatcheries and Sensitive Areas
    • Lake Bay, Cannery Creek, Solomon Gulch, Main Bay, Sawmill Bay, Valdez Duck Flats and 10 Port of Valdez sensitive areas
  • Other
    • Naked Island, Port Etches, Whittier, Cordova, Chenega Bay and Tatitlek
• Wildlife hazing — 
  • capture and rehabilitation plans are in place for spill and response support
• Non-Mechanical Response Equipment — 
  • Helitask Airborne Dispersant Systems — 2
    • treatment potential — 4,200 gals/payload
  • ADDS Pack, airborne dispersant delivery system packages — 2
    • treatment potential — 2,600 bbl/payload
  • Spillspray, meter controlled dispersant spray unit — 3
    • onboard tankage — 3,000 gal. concentrate liquid
  • Heli-torch, airborne ignition systems — 2
• Alyeska Tactical Oil Spill Model (ATOM) — 
  • software package especially designed for oil spill trajectory modeling used to:
    • forecast path of oil, based on real weather input
    • show wildlife impact potential and other sensitivities such as recreational sites, commercial fishing areas, and shoreline types
    • show locations of PWS communities and hatcheries

Regional Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC)

Independent citizen oversight of Terminal operations and Prince William Sound Tanker Spill Prevention and Response Plan

Budget

• $2.5 million per year (provided by Alyeska)

Members  (Jan 1996)

• Alaska State Chamber of Commerce
• Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association
• Chenega Bay Corporation
• Chenega Bay IRA Council
• Chugach Alaska Corporation
• City of Cordova
• City of Homer
• City of Kodiak
• City of Seldovia
• City of Seward
• City of Valdez (2)
• City of Whittier
• Cordova District Fishermen United (CDFU)
• Kenai Peninsula Borough
• Kodiak Island Borough
• Kodiak Village Mayors Association
• Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition
• Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation
• Tatitlek Corporation
• Tatitlek Village IRA Council

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