The Observer, September 2007
New tug is scheduled for Cook Inlet duty
Tesoro Alaska Company has announced plans to station a new year-round tractor tug at its Nikiski refinery starting this winter.
The vessel is the 6,700-horsepower Vigilant. It will be operated for Tesoro by Crowley Marine Services, which also operates Alyeska Pipeline’s tug fleet in Prince William Sound.
The tug Valor, shown here, is a twin to the Vigilant, which will go into service at Nikiski early this winter. Photo courtesy of Tesoro.
The move “is an additional enhancement to our safety and environmental programs,” said Capt. Tim Plummer, president of Tesoro Maritime in a prepared statement.
The decision comes after two incidents at Nikiski raised fears a major tanker spill could occur without additional protections at the facility on the shore of Cook Inlet a few miles north of Kenai.
In February 2006, the tanker Seabulk Pride was pushed away from the Nikiski dock by fast moving ice. It grounded on a nearby beach within a few minutes and was pulled free a day later. The vessel’s cargo tanks didn’t rupture, though a small amount of oil did spill from the loading equipment as the vessel was pushed away from the dock.
In January 2007, the same vessel had a second encounter with ice at the Nikiski dock. One mooring cable was snapped and others were strained, but the Seabulk Pride did not break free as it had a year earlier. No spill or damage to the vessel resulted.
Mike Munger, executive director of the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, hailed this summer’s decision by Tesoro. “They should be commended for implementing this navigational safeguard that is above and beyond regulatory compliance,” he said.
John Devens, executive director of the Prince William Sound council, said the move was late in coming but very welcome. “The tractor tugs in Prince William Sound have made the system there one of the safest on earth,” Devens said. “It’s gratifying to see some of the same protection extended to Alaska’s only other crude oil port.”
After the second incident, in early 2007, Tesoro stationed the Voyager, a less capable tug, at Nikiski. It will remain on duty until the Vigilant arrives in November, the company said. The 100-foot vessel is receiving special modifications to equip it for winter ice conditions in Cook Inlet.