The Observer, September 2007

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Alyeska Viewpoint: Accomplishments of past are guide to the future

By Greg Jones, Alyeska Pipeline's Valdez vice president

As we celebrate the accomplishments of the last 30 years of operating the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the Valdez Marine Terminal, as well as forming and operating the Ship Escort Response Vessel System, we look back with pride. We are proud of the progress we have made but at the same time we look forward and start planning for the future.

As Valdez vice president, I will be working to start formulating a plan for the next 30 years at the terminal and our operations in Prince William Sound. As an organization, we accept our accountability for leading this effort into the future. As we begin to define our vision for the future, I would like to talk with you about three things: who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

Who we are: Most recently we have expanded the Valdez Team to have three branches of operational leadership. Tom Stokes has accepted the newly formed Valdez operations senior advisor position to focus on Valdez Marine Terminal system life cycle evaluations and Valdez operations strategic planning. Kathy Zinn has moved into the terminal manager role, while Mike Meadors continues as general manager of the Ship Escort Vessel Response System, or SERVS. He is accountable for implementing the SERVS prevention and response plans as outlined in our response action contracts with the tanker operators and the approved contingency plans for the tankers and the terminal.

To support these operations, the team has two project managers for major project implementation: Curtis Nuttall, ballast water project manager, and Kent Peterson, Valdez projects manager.

Sharon Marchant, who serves as my Valdez liaison to the citizens’ council, will be retiring at the end of 2007. In anticipation of her move, we are planning to restructure this position to afford even more direct liaison accountabilities and are recruiting for the position to allow for a good transition.

The Valdez operations team is also supported by our business analyst, Andrea Rhyner, and our executive assistant, Dorothy Lord-Matthew. We have over 550 employees and contractors focused on doing it right!

What we do: We are accountable professionals working safely and soundly to load the oil and move it safely outside Prince William Sound on its way to market.

A safe work environment is the highest priority and we continue to learn about ways to modify human behavior to accomplish our ‘NOBODY gets hurt’ approach. This makes great business sense because, if we work safely and correctly the first time, it follows that it will be accomplished in good business fashion with appropriate cost management.

To assure efficiencies and clarity in our roles, it was important to be clear about who had what accountabilities and to assure clear lines of communication. As we evolved in the last year, we worked hard to assure our team clearly understands roles and accountabilities.

Our job to load the tankers and prevent spills on their journey to the Gulf of Alaska calls into play a complex management structure between the pipeline owners and the tanker operating companies responsible for the transport.

Controlling a spill and minimizing any environmental impact in the event of a spill can be an unpredictable and even daunting challenge. For both the terminal and the Sound, factors such as tidal patterns, water currents, winds, and waves are difficult to predict. Alyeska understands this predicament and prioritizes the testing of response equipment in safe conditions and during drills. It is not possible to respond in all conditions, and we want to ensure we have addressed as many variations as possible in a safe working environment.

Despite our best prevention methods and practices, we cannot eliminate the risks altogether, whether it be a spill or an incident at the terminal. That is why Alyeska spends so much time considering various risks and managing our integrated systems from corrosion management to fire response for safe, well-managed operations every day.

How we do it: We conduct work in a safe and open work environment where we seek to understand different perspectives.

Seeking to understand differing perspectives is a fundamental element of an open work environment, whether that perspective is created by culture, age or public view. Being open to differing views brings new ideas, new understanding, and clarity to our work. Whether it is about listening to a worker relating a safety concern or listening to the public relating a risk concern, it is our duty and our need to listen and understand that perspective. And when we do listen, it helps us to do our job better.

We have worked hard on achieving more successful communications, using Fierce Conversations as our guidebook. These conversations allow us to have more transparent operations and to foster a work and public environment that understands our role.

We look forward to continued improvements as we change and continue to operate for the next 30 years.