News & Announcements

Council board re-elects officers to serve through May 2018

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Left to right: Treasurer Wayne Donaldson, who represents the City of Kodiak; Vice President Thane Miller, represents Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation; President Amanda Bauer, represents the City of Valdez; Member-at-Large Robert Archibald, representing the City of Homer; Member-at-Large Patience Andersen Faulkner, representing the Cordova District Fishermen United; and Member-at-Large Melissa Berns, who represents the Kodiak Village Mayors Association. Not pictured is Secretary Bob Shavelson, who represents the Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition. (Photo taken in 2016) 

At the recent board meeting in Valdez, the council’s board of directors elected officers for a new term. The elected executive committee, who will serve from May 2017 to May 2018, is comprised of:

  • President: Amanda Bauer, representing the City of Valdez
  • Vice President: Thane Miller, representing Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation
  • Treasurer: Wayne Donaldson, representing the City of Kodiak
  • Secretary: Bob Shavelson, representing the Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition
  • Three Members-at-Large:
    • Melissa Berns, representing the Kodiak Island Village Mayors Association
    • Robert Archibald, representing the City of Homer
    • Patience Andersen Faulkner, representing Cordova District Fisherman United

The council is very happy to have the support of its many volunteers from all over the Exxon Valdez oil spill region. The new executive committee is an excellent representation of the council.

May 2017 board meeting held in Valdez

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Valdez, AlaskaThe Council’s board of directors held a meeting in Valdez on Thursday and Friday, May 4-5, 2017.

Topics on the agenda included:

  • Presentations regarding the change in Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s marine services contract provider from Crowley Marine Services to Edison Chouest Offshore – set to take place July 1, 2018 – by Alyeska, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Coast Guard and the council. These services include key oil spill prevention and response assets such as escort tugs, oil recovery barges and associated personnel for service in Prince William Sound.

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Report identifies concerns with tanker escort tugs being built for service in Prince William Sound

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The council has identified some areas of concern with the design of the new escort and general purpose tugs under construction by Edison Chouest Offshore for use in Prince William Sound. These concerns and recommendations result from a council-commissioned analysis of the tugs by Robert Allan Ltd., a naval architecture and marine engineering company.

Edison Chouest Offshore is taking over the marine services contract for Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in the summer of 2018. Crowley Maritime has held the contract since the creation of Alyeska’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The services provided under this contract include escort tugs, general purpose tugs, oil recovery storage barges, and associated personnel, all of which are key oil spill prevention and response assets for the Valdez Marine Terminal and associated oil tankers operating in Prince William Sound. Robert Allan Ltd. was contracted by the council to review and evaluate drawings and other vessel design materials provided by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. This review includes information that was provided to the council as of December 14, 2016.

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Marine Firefighting Symposium coming to Homer in May 2017

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Firefighters participate in a simulated vessel fire exercise during the 2015 Marine Firefighting Symposium at the Valdez harbor. Photo by Zac Schasteen.
Firefighters participated in a simulated vessel fire exercise during the 2015 Marine Firefighting Symposium at the Valdez harbor. Photo by Zac Schasteen.

Update 2/9/17: Registration is now open! See Marine Firefighting Symposium 2017 for more.

The ninth Marine Firefighting Symposium for Land-Based Firefighters is scheduled for May 12-14, 2017 in Homer, Alaska. The council is co-hosting this event with our sister organization, the Cook Inlet Regional Citizen’s Advisory Council.

This three-day conference is an industry recognized effort to provide the best available marine firefighting information and practices to shore-based firefighters, using both classroom and field experiences.

The council is pleased to have its nationally renowned training cadre of John Lewis, John Taylor, Don Ryan and Ron Raschio, led by Jeff Johnson, returning to the Symposium. Several of these instructors provided input and material for the land-based shipboard firefighting manual produced by the International Fire Service Training Association. Firefighters and industry participants consistently provide positive comments on the events. The council is able to offer this training at no cost for participants.

More information: Marine Firefighting Symposium 2017

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