PAJ Conference 2000
Alyeska Pipeline Service Company/Ship Escort Response
Vessel System“Safe Transportation of TAPS Crude”
By
Sharon O. Hillman
P. O. Box 109
Valdez, AK USA 99686(907) 834-6903 Fax (907) 834-6944
e-mail: hillmanso@alyeska-pipeline.com
1.0 BackgroundOil was first discovered at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in 1968. Alyeska Pipeline Service
Company (Alyeska) was formed to design, construct, operate and maintain theTrans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). The major owners of Alyeska are BP
Amoco; ARCO; and Exxon. The four others owners are Mobil, Amerada Hess,
Phillips and Unocal.
Following the Trans Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act (TAPAA) in 1973,
construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline was initiated. Construction of thepipeline and marine terminal – one of the engineering wonders of the world
crossing 3 spectacular mountain ranges -- required 515 federal permits and 832
state permits. In 1997, the oil started flowing.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) moves approximately 20 % of theUnited States’ domestic oil supply safely and efficiently from it’s fragile arctic
beginnings through the 800 mile long pipeline to the marine terminal at Valdez.
There it is loaded onto tankers that are escorted through Prince William Sound to
the Gulf of Alaska - a 70 mile transit.
During its first 22 years of operation, Alyeska safely transported nearly 13 billion
barrels of oil and loaded over 16,000 tankers while maintaining a high rate ofreliability, environmental integrity and an excellent safety record.
Alyeska operates three primary business assets – the 800 mile pipeline, theValdez Marine Terminal (VMT) and the Ship Escort Response Vessel System(SERVS), formed after the 1989 oil spill. This paper focuses on the mission,
operations and marine environmental protection practices and technologies ofAlyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System.
2.0 Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System
The Alyeska/SERVS mission is:“To PREVENT oil spills by assisting tankers in safe navigation throughPrince William Sound and to PROTECT the environment by providing

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1effective RESPONSE SERVICES to the Valdez Marine Terminal andAlaska Crude Oil Shippers in accordance with oil spill response
agreements and plans.”
The SERVS organization maintains a federal Oil Spill Removal Organization(OSRO) Certification (#0077) and a State of Alaska Primary Response Action
Contractor (RAC) Registration. Based on a worldwide benchmarking analysis in
1999, the SERVS organization is the largest prevention and responseorganization in the world.
3.0 Prevention is the Key
The easiest oil spill to clean up is the one that never happens. To that end,
Alyeska/SERVS places its primary emphasis on prevention beginning with acomprehensive tanker escort service for all loaded tankers.
Tanker Escorts: All tanker ships loaded at the Valdez Marine Terminal are
escorted through Prince William Sound and out Hinchinbrook Entrance - 24 hours
per day, 365 days per year – a total transit of approximately 70 miles. Each escort
is logged and reviewed. Escorts maintain continuous communications and thesystem reliability is closely overseen by the US Coast Guard Valdez Marine
Safety Office as well as State regulators and members of the PWS Regional
Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC). In 1999, 451 tanker escorts were safely
completed. A total of 7,765 tanker escorts have been completed since theinception of the program in 1989.
The evolution of the tanker escort system began with the emergency order issued
by the state of Alaska in 1989. A fleet of 12 vessels, each singular in purpose,
was quickly developed consisting of; three dedicated pairs of escorts (comprisedof an Escort Response Vessel (ERV) and tug), Port Etches standby vessel,
Naked Island standby vessel and four dedicated docking tugs. The emphasis
was more towards oil spill response than prevention and there was little
interchangeability between vessels, due in part to three separate marine
companies providing vessels. During this period a typical escort might include
three tugs undocking a tanker while the two escorts were standing by waiting.
During this period, throughput was approximately 2.0 million barrels per day(mbbls/day) and loading occurred over all four berths.
In subsequent years a variety of factors caused various changes to the escortsystem and vessel mix. These included; the Disabled Tanker Towing Study,
Prince William Sound Risk Assessment, promulgation of Federal Escort
Requirements, oil spill response responsibility in the Gulf of Alaska, Tanker Vapor
recovery and weather restrictions. Additionally, industry instituted voluntarymeasures such as ice scouts and sentinel standby for inbound tankers in ballastthat has impacted the system as well as experience gained in the operation of theescort system. Fleet enhancements including the two enhanced tractor tugs,
Nanuq and Tan’erliq and the rescue tug Gulf Service are examples of changes tothe system based on the various studies and regulations.

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As the escort system matured, there was a marked emphasis and focus on oil
spill prevention, fleet modernization and multipurpose vessels to increasecapabilities and maximize efficiencies.
In 1998, SERVS embarked upon a dedicated strategy to upgrade the specialized
vessel fleet of 12 vessels to a fleet composed of fewer multipurpose vessels.
This strategy included a marine alliance with Crowley Marine Services, and theconstruction of three multipurpose Prevention/Response Tugs. This strategy
was expected to be a significant technological and operational enhancement of
the fleet, with the ability of SERVS to reduce the total fleet size to initially ten
vessels when the PRTs arrive, with the potential for further reductions dependent
upon operational requirements. Stakeholders formally endorsed the strategy inlate 1998.
The SERVS Year 2000 Strategy preserved the original theme of a multipurpose
core fleet with a slight variation. The original strategy included a special service
vessel at Cape Hinchinbrook to perform open ocean rescue duties. The SERVS
2000 strategy involves utilizing a PRT as the Hinchinbrook tug, the enhanced
tractor tugs as the close escorts for the entire transit of a general purpose “utility
vessel”. This still allowed for an overall reduction in the number of vessels,
operational efficiencies and reduced costs. The status of the new PRT’s meetingthe state best available technology (BAT) requirements is currently being
addressed.
The year 2000 vessel strategy is outlined below:

Vessel Type
Hinchinbrook Tug PRT Alert

MissionEscorting/Response

Enhanced Tractor Tug –Nanuq
Enhanced Tractor Tug Tan'erliq
PRT Attentive
PRT Aware
Tractor Tug Guard
Utility Vessel

Multipurpose*

Conventional Tug
Conventional Tug

Multipurpose*
Multipurpose*
Multipurpose*
Docking/Escorting
Inbound
Sentinel/Response
Docking/Escorting
Docking/Escorting

DutiesClose Escort at Cape
Hinchinbrook.
Tethered Escort to Buoy 9, close
escort entire transit
Tethered Escort to Buoy 9, close
escort entire transit
Close Escort/Sentinel
Close Escort/ Sentinel
Docking/back up tether
Barge Tending Naked
Island/Inbound sentinel
Docking
Docking* Multipurpose is defined as docking, escorting and oil spill response

PWS Risk Assessment and Increased Prevention for Tanker Traffic:
Alyeska undertook a major new risk assessment in cooperation with the State of
Alaska, US Coast Guard, TAPS Marine Shippers and the Prince William Sound
Regional Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC). This resulted in enhancing several
prevention measures including the addition of a high horsepower vessel staged at

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Hinchinbrook Entrance, and most recently the completion of two state-of-the-art
Enhanced Tractor Tugs.
Enhanced Tractor Tugs: Two new–generation, state-of-the-art, 10,000–
horsepower Enhanced Tractor Tugs (ETTs) equipped with Voith Schneider
propulsion were deployed during 1999. It is because of their exceptional
maneuverability, that the Nanuq and Tan’erliq, Alaska Native words for polar andblack bear, are the two vessels currently used in the tethered escort mode during
escort operations. The vessels enhance the ability to assist a disabled tanker.
Trained response personnel and crews are aboard the vessels along with spill
response equipment.
Prevention/Response Tugs: Three new Prevention and Response Tugs
(PRTs) with z drives specially designed for escorting and response service in
PWS were commissioned for year 2000 deliveries. These new PRTs are being
built in Dakota Creek Shipyard, Anacortes, Washington and represent newtechnology for prevention and response missions by powerful ocean-class tugs.
Delivery of the first of these three vessels, the Alert, has just occurred (midFebruary) as this paper is being finalized.

4.0 Ready to RespondPrince William Sound (PWS) Response System: Alyeska/SERVS manages
the response system that is based on a State planning standard for response of
300,000 barrels of recovery within 72 hours, which is higher than the federally
mandated OPA requirements. As a part of this program, Alyeska/SERVS
maintains 4 major open-water skimming barges with a combined storage
capacity of over 800,000 barrels, 14 major skimming systems (TransRec 350’s,
GrahamRec and the Valdez Star). Nearly 100 smaller skimmers are available forrecovery operations in open water and near shore. Shoreline response
equipment and contractors for 5 beach recovery units are maintained.
Alyeska/SERVS contracts with more than 300 local fishing vessels to assist in
response and to provide sensitive resource protection and local knowledge. In
addition, spill response equipment is maintained in five communities aroundPWS. Protective booming strategies and equipment are in place at fivehatcheries and geographic response strategies for other sensitive resource sites
in the Port of Valdez and PWS. Training for response personnel and contractors
is an ongoing activity, meeting the National Preparedness for Response Exercise
Program (NPREP) guidelines.
High Volume Skimmers: Alyeska/SERVS uses this technology designed by an
Alyeska Contractor for spill response readiness (2 each TransRec 350’s and one
GrahramRec skimmer per barge). Three large recovery skimmer units capableof recovering over 7,000 barrels per hour (nameplate) are mounted on an oil
recovery barge with over 125,000 barrels of recovered oil storage capacity. This
unit makes up a single open-water task force system. Four systems are in use.
In addition, research and field-testing is underway for the “Current Buster”. This
containment system has a confined collection area that allows skimming to takeplace at increased speeds. Alyeska/SERVS has participated in testing at the

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OHMSETT test tank (with oil) and in field trials (without oil) in Prince WilliamSound and in British Columbia.
Fishing Vessel Training and Response Program: A major environmental
outreach program that is a vital portion of our spill response is the fishing vessel
program. Alyeska/SERVS works closely with the communities of Prince WilliamSound in mobilizing the resources and preparing to respond to any spill. There
are more than 300 fishing vessels currently on contract with Alyeska to provide oilspill response assistance. These vessels are integrated into response plans andtrained in the use of equipment. The Core Fleet is made up of 50 of thesecontracted vessels. This group provides immediate and year-round response
support. Fishing vessels receive specialized training and participate in spill
response drills and exercises during the year. The fishing vessel program isadministered through Fishing Vessel Administrators (FVAs). Fishing vessel
support is an integral element for spill response strategies especially innearshore, wildlife, and in-situ burning response strategies as well as support
operations. The fishermen provide invaluable local knowledge that contributes
largely to site specific improvements in response plans. Oil spill response
equipment has been staged in the communities of Valdez, Chenega Bay,
Cordova, Tatitlek and Whittier close to the local fishing vessel centers andsensitive resources.
The fishing vessel program is a major supporting element in the protection ofsensitive areas and fish hatcheries. In addition to the hatcheries, the Valdez Duck
Flats, a significant and designated migratory waterfowl habitat in Port Valdez has
a protection plan. Training and drills with local members of the fishing vessel fleet
include a lessons learned session to capture operational items for improvements.
Benefits of the environmental programs and education are seen in a number ofways within the communities and partnerships. Examples of this include cleaner
harbors and fewer spills to water due to education and experience gained byfishermen participating in Alyeska/SERVS programs. The fishermen learn skills
and tactics for responding safely to large incidents as well as operating in a very
clean environment. The participants have applied these lessons in their everyday
lives. For instance, in 1999 several community events promoting harbor pollution
prevention were held with the support of the Alaska Department of Environmental
Conservation and the US Coast Guard.
Incident Command System (ICS): Alyeska/SERVS has been a leader since
1989, in defining, promoting and using the ICS style management on spill andincident responses. In the last two years, Alyeska/SERVS has worked closelywith the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Coast
Guard (USCG) and other responders to improve program definitions, training,forms and application of this system. We have found the system to be invaluable
in the early stages of a crisis for organization, it then progresses into a welldeveloped, effective, right-sized project team to control the situation andeffectively mitigate environmental damage.
Specialized Training Programs: Alyeska/SERVS has developed
comprehensive training programs in spill response to maintain high levels of

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readiness. Operational training is historically based and focuses on basic skills
and improvements gathered through previous lessons learned during drills andexercises. The education techniques focus on adult learning methodologies,
drawing on the team members as a valuable resource and presenting information
relating to real life situations. A major success factor is the training being clearly
linked to the contingency plans. This helps the participants learn the technicalaspects of the plan, relates the operational tactics and strategies to the plancontents and develops the responders’ confidence that they know their plan.
Classes range from basic to specialized courses. The three day Alyeska BasicOil Spill Response Training course and the two day Incident Command System(ICS) training provide fundamentals. Various specialized programs include:
trajectory modeling using Alyeska Tactical Oilspill Model (ATOM), wildlife hazing,
capture and rehabilitation courses, technical progression programs fortechnicians, special contingency planning and prevention training, tanker towing
exercises, operational exercises involving all of the tactics within the contingency
plan, emergency response planning, Crisis Management Team and IncidentManagement Team (CMT, IMT) training and drills.
Alyeska Drill Program: Alyeska follows the National Preparedness for
Response Exercise Program (NPREP) guidelines. The company program
includes both Crisis Management and Incident Management Teams andexercises various crisis modes (natural disasters, human disasters and spill
responses). About three dozen drills and exercises occur annually in PWS andone is done in conjunction with the crude oil shippers. Alyeska was a major
participant in the 1998 BP SONS Drill, providing a significant contribution with thecreation of “drill truth”-- preceding days history, timeline, equipment, operational
details and environmental information.
Alyeska/SERVS has worked with its owner/shipper companies on theimplementation of an automated spill response resource tracking/ordering system
named RESPONSEtm that supports the management of response resources.
During the 1998 BP SONS Drill, it was generally agreed (as reported in the BP
SONS Drill Evaluation Report, 1999) by “players and evaluators alike that thisprogram was a valuable response tool. It is likely that a response of thismagnitude could only be accomplished effectively utilizing a tool of this type.”
Alyeska is continuing to implement this system company-wide, expecting
significant efficiencies in managing resource assignments and tracking, andinformation exchange regarding response resources.
Graphical Resource Database(GRD): The company maintains acomputerized, graphic database with multiple layers documenting thousands ofenvironmentally sensitive biological, cultural, social and human use sites. The
database is maintained in close coordination with trustee agencies. The
database included 2,200 records in 1992 and has grown significantly with over
10,000 in the 1998 update, more than 14,400 records in the interim 1999 update
and the January 2000 issue nearly fills a compact disk. The database is provided
on CD for use by responders, agency personnel and the public involved in the
response. The recent update significantly expanded link file information including,for instance, photos of pre-spill shorelines surveys.

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Alyeska’s Tactical Oilspill Model (ATOM): The trajectory model developed by
ASA (and similar to their World Oil Spill Model) is specific to Prince William Sound
including both two and three dimensional modeling, resource locations, sensitive
resource identification, oil mass balance and dispersant analysis capabilities.
Mobile Wildlife Stabilization and Cleaning Units: Alyeska/SERVS redesigned
existing technology to provide mobile stabilization and treatment centers forwildlife that may be oiled should a major spill occur. These mobile units provide
primary on-scene care for Prince William Sound, and can be moved to otherareas using available transportation (Hercules type aircraft or highway trucks.)
5.0 Communicating with Stakeholders
Alyeska recognizes its responsibility to respond to the needs and concerns ofstakeholders regarding the prevention of oil spills in the operations of the TAPS.
Planning for and the successful implementation of Alyeska/SERVS prevention
and response goals and strategies must include the thoughts, ideas, andconcerns of a broad base of industry, government, and public interests.
Stakeholders in TAPS operations include the owners of the Trans-Alaska pipeline,
the producers of the oil, marine shippers, State of Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard, thePrince William Sound Regional Citizen’s Advisory Council, local community
representatives, and public interest groups.
Alyeska actively maintains communications with congress and state legislators;
national and state regulators including the US Coast Guard at the Valdez Marine
Safety Office (MSO), as well as District 17 and Headquarters, the State of Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) and the Joint Pipeline Office.
In addition, communications and technical exchanges occur with numerous stateand federal trustee representatives throughout the vast areas of our operations aswell as local government involvement. Stakeholder interactions occur
continuously with the Prince William Sound Regional Citizen Advisory Council,
funded by Alyeska as the OPA 90 citizens oversight group for PWS operations.
Discussions and communications with local and regional citizens, community
representatives and native groups is crucial to communicating with all interested
parties about operations that are occurring in their home regions.
6.0 Partnerships/Benefits
USCG : The constant and significant presence of Alyeska’s Ship Escort
Response Vessel System throughout PWS has proven to be a significant asset
to the community and has provided the US Coast Guard MSO Valdez withmeasurable assistance in many areas. These range from everyday reductions inmarine pollution and safety incidents to the substantial savings to life and property
through search and rescue support efforts. Several examples of thesepartnership attributes are discussed below:
Fishing Vessel Safety Program Partnership: Alyeska/SERVS Fishing Vessel
Program is closely aligned with the US Coast Guard commercial fishing vessel
safety program. The Alyeska contract for fishing vessels includes a requirement

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that the fishing vessel completes and displays the USCG fishing vessel safety
examination decal. Since that requirement was implemented USCG officials
have documented a reduction in the number of fishing vessel crew deaths.
USCG officials attributed part of this downturn to the required safety training andequipment that fishing vessel crews acquired to receive or maintain their Alyeska
contract. This voluntary USCG program has received much attention, and a
portion of this success has been attributed to the partnership with the fishingvessel program supported by Alyeska/SERVS.
Examples of Marine Safety “Saves”: Since 1994, more than 45 situations
have occurred where Alyeska/SERVS provided some level of search and rescue
assistance. Examples follow: In the early evening hours of September 15, 1999,
the local USCG office requested SERVS help with the F/V Odyssey, a 40’ seinerwith three people onboard, adrift off Hook Point on Hinchinbrook Island in the Gulf
of Alaska with current conditions of “storm warnings.” The fishing vessel had
dead batteries, fuel problems and was requesting assistance and a tow. The Sea
Venture (an ocean going tug on spill prevention and response duty in Port Etches)
was dispatched and in less than three hours had arrived on scene and taken thestricken vessel in tow, returning to Port Etches. The crew from a second spill
prevention and response vessel (the Liberty Service) on duty with the response
barge in Port Etches were able to assist the crew to correct the problems,
averting any loss of life or property.
Two days prior to the above incident, the NOAA weather buoy, (which records
wind and sea state information at Seal Rocks outside Hinchinbrook Entrance)
was retrieved by the Gulf Service vessel just before beaching on outer Montague
Island. The buoy had broken free of its mooring and was adrift with the potentialof being lost or severally damaged. Our operation was able to provide assistanceto the USCG in finding and salvaging the state-of-the-art buoy.
Other examples in 1999 include saving the lives of two people in a capsized skiff
in Port Valdez; and, retrieving several stranded persons (some with hypothermia)
from a remote, unpopulated beach whom had been on a recreational outing when
their small vessel was damaged.
Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC): RCAC iscertified under the Federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 as the alternative citizens
advisory group for Prince William Sound, and operates under a contract with
Alyeska. The contract, which is in affect as long as oil flows through the pipeline,
guarantees RCAC's independence, provides annual funding (by Alyeska) of $2.5
million, and ensures RCAC access to the VMT and SERVS facilities. PWS
RCAC is a non-profit corporation guided by its mission: “Citizens promoting
environmentally safe operation of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company
Terminal in Valdez and the oil tankers that use it.” The council’s 18 member
organizations include communities in the region affected by the 1989 spill in
Prince William Sound, as well as aqua-culture, commercial fishing,environmental, Native, recreation, and tourism groups. The Council reviews,
monitors and advises Alyeska and the public on marine terminal and tanker oil
spill prevention and response, environmental protection, community response
planning and public education and outreach. RCAC has been an active voice for

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citizen concerns. Alyeska maintains an RCAC Liaison to facilitatecommunications with the Council and the staff of the organization. In addition,
many Alyeska personnel participate in the four committees of the organization:
Port Operations and Vessel Traffic Systems; Oil Spill Prevention and Response;
Scientific Advisory; and Terminal Operations and Environmental Monitoring.
Prince William Sound Community College (PWSCC): The Prince WilliamSound Community College, University of Alaska, partnership is an innovative
partnership that focuses on training and education. The relationship provides
administrative, faculty and facility support for major portions of the company’s
extensive training program. For example, the college partners with theAlyeska/SERVS organization to provide HAZWOPER, regulatory, wildlife capture
and rehabilitation and other programs to support the spill prevention and response
training needs, especially in communities around Prince William Sound. The
partnership allowed the college to further develop during the mid-1990’s, theAssociate of Applied Science Degree in Oil Spill Response Technology, one of
the first in the world. That partnership has continued with the community
education sessions and instructor exchanges that address limited spill responseteaching resources in the Prince William Sound area. The partnership has alsooffered excellent opportunities to work with other sponsors to bring significant
technical and policy symposiums to the community. Examples of symposiums
include: “Partners in Prevention”, March, 1999 and “Prevention is the Key”,
October, 1996.
7.0 Conclusion
Oil spill prevention and response is both a technical issue and one ofcommunications. On the technical side, Alyeska has worked diligently to provide
a major spill prevention program for the transportation of Alaska North Slope
Crude through the Trans Alaska Pipeline System – From Pump Station 1 toHinchinbrook Entrance. Alyeska has worked to implement significant reductions
to the potential risks by designing and commissioning new marine equipment for
the escorting service and providing well-coordinated procedures to implement theescort system. In addition, the response side continues to be enhanced withimproved equipment and technologies and training continues to be a focus.
Keeping stakeholders informed about our company’s activities, plans andsituations is also critical to our success. Just as critical is listening. Listening
with an open mind to the questions, concerns and issues fosters a clear
opportunity to exchange information. Working openly with all stakeholders
including our regulators and the public does not mean that we always agree. It
does, however, allow for each party to understand the situation and to ask
questions. Issues can be identified, and if necessary, agreement is made to havedifferent views on a given subject. By sharing as much information as possible,
as openly as possible, we are able to keep everyone informed and better able toshare our views.
8.0 References

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Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc.
United States Coast Guard, Erst/O’Brien’s. March 1, 1999. Spill of National
Significance Exercise 1998, Prince William Sound and Western Gulf of Alaska,
September 18-23, 1998 Final Report. Section V.3.1.A.
Prince William Sound Plan Holders. 1999. Prince William Sound Tanker Oil
Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan.
Prince William Sound Community College and Alyeska Pipeline Service
Company. 1999. Partners in Prevention Symposium. . Symposium held in
Valdez, Alaska. March, 1999
Prince William Sound Community College and Alyeska Pipeline Service
Company/SERVS. 1996. Prevention is the Key Symposium. Symposium Heldin Valdez, Alaska. October, 1996

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