News & Announcements

From Alyeska: Pipe inspections on terminal finds no repairs needed

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Submitted by Alyeska Corporate Communications.

Alyeska staff implement new technology that can inspect areas of pipe that were previously impossible to inspect. Photos courtesy of Alyeska.

This summer, Alyeska’s multi-year internal inspection program of Valdez Marine Terminal piping included inspecting buried relief system and crude oil piping in and around the East Metering building, and from West Metering to the end of Berth 5. Much of this piping is encased in concrete and was considered “uninspectable” until recent advances in inspection technology.

Crews started in the spring, working in and around the East Metering building where oil enters the Terminal and is measured as part of the pipeline leak detection system. They built containment and installed equipment to allow for system isolation. The roof was modified so cranes could remove large segments of pipe from the building and return them after the inspection.

During a scheduled maintenance shutdown in June, TAPS personnel drained down and isolated the impacted piping around East Metering. Once the shutdown was completed, a contractor cleaned the pipe with special equipment that limited physical entry into the pipe. Crews removed several 90-degree pipe segments to create access points for the crawler pig (see photos) that carries the inspection tool through the pipe. Pigs inspected approximately 2,100 feet of pipe ranging from 16 to 36 inches in diameter.

Alyeska integrity management staff analyzed the data, and found no needed repairs and no significant impact to pipeline or Terminal operations. The piping has returned to service.

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Council’s executive committee re-elected to another term in office

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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.

The council board held annual elections to choose its seven-member executive committee at its May meeting in Valdez.

Amanda Bauer of Valdez was elected to her fourth consecutive term as president. Thane Miller, who represents Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation on the board, was elected to his fourth consecutive term as vice-president. Bob Shavelson, who represents the Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition, was re-elected as secretary. Wayne Donaldson, who represents the City of Kodiak, was elected as treasurer.

Long-time board member Patience Andersen Faulkner, who represents the Cordova District Fishermen United, Robert Archibald, who represents the City of Homer, and Melissa Berns, who represents the Kodiak Village Mayors Association were all re-elected to serve as at-large members of the executive committee.

These officers will serve until the next elections in May 2016.

Duffy resigns from board

Pat Duffy, who served on the council’s board of directors since September of 2007, resigned in May. Duffy represented the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce. He served several terms as vice president and as member-at-large. He also served on the council’s finance committee, helping to oversee development of the council’s annual budget and other financial matters.

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Homer teens use technology to monitor Kachemak Bay for aquatic invasions

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By Beth Trowbridge
Executive Director for the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies

Students put together the drones prior to a test drive.

Four Homer high school students, a project leader, and lots of volunteers took part in the center’s “Creating Teen Leaders through Marine Technology and Research” program this summer, helping monitor for aquatic invasive species throughout Kachemak Bay.

The students built an underwater remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, from a kit, which they used to explore the Homer and Seldovia harbors for aquatic invasive species. “We all had various skills that we could contribute but it took all of our expertise to organize, create, and improvise the structure,” said Landon Bunting, one of the students, describing the teamwork that developed between the students during the project.

The students also used drones to help learn to navigate the underwater ROV. “Flying the drones and watching them be flown allowed for a better understanding of operating ROVs through a ‘fluid’ such as air or water,” added Bunting. “This experiment allowed each of us to learn from our mistakes and to learn the benefit of different types of remote operated vehicles.”

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Board of directors meeting in Cordova

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The council’s board of directors met in Cordova on September 15 and 16.

Topics on the agenda included:

  • An update on Alyeska’s plan for the transition from Crowley to Edison Chouest
  • The council’s plan to monitor the transition from Crowley to Edison Chouest
  • An update on the renewal of the Prince William Sound oil spill contingency plan for tankers
  • An update on the status of Prince William Sound herring
  • A presentation on requirements for marine vessel pilots in Prince William Sound
  • An update on BP’s use of foreign-flagged vessels in Prince William Sound

 

Download meeting materials:

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