Online Observer

25 years after Exxon Valdez oil spill

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How has oil transportation changed in Prince William Sound?

Storage Tanks at Valdez Marine TerminalAlthough the immediate cause of the spill was a navigational error on the part of the tanker’s captain and crew, complacency among the oil industry, regulatory agencies, and the public was found to play a part in the disaster.

Few prevention measures were in place and cleanup resources were inadequate.

Since 1989, regulatory agencies, the industry and citizens have been working together to learn lessons on how we can prevent oil spills and be better prepared to clean up if another spill should occur.

What has improved in oil spill prevention since the Exxon Valdez oil spill?

Double hulls
All tankers transporting oil through Prince William Sound are now double-hulled. Double hulls, basically two steel skins separated by several feet of space, are an effective design feature which can reduce or eliminate spills that result from groundings or collisions.

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Real storm plays role in October spill drill

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By ROY ROBERTSON
Council Project Manager

Response personnel gather to hear an update on the drill's progress. Photo by Amanda Johnson.
Response personnel gather to hear an update on the drill’s progress.

Polar Tankers, Inc. conducted the annual Prince William Sound shipper’s drill for 2013 on October 7-9. Polar Tankers is the shipping company owned by ConocoPhillips.

This large drill involved more than 700 participants and included command posts in both Valdez and Anchorage as well as field activities in Prince William Sound.

The scenario had a Polar Tankers ship colliding with two barges being towed in tandem close to Montague Point on Montague Island in Prince William Sound.

New drill features

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New guidelines for using dispersants proposed

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By STEVE ROTHCHILD
Council Administrative Deputy Director

The Alaska Regional Response Team has proposed new guidelines for how chemical dispersants are approved for use in Alaska’s waters.

This team is an advisory board of resource trustee agencies that provides federal, state, and local governmental agencies with the means to participate in pollution incident response.

The announcement of these new proposed guidelines came in October, and the team held a series of public meetings to discuss the new approval procedures in November in five Southcentral Alaska communities. Council representatives attended three of the five meetings in Kodiak, Anchorage and Valdez. The other two meetings were held out of the council’s geographic area.

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Sound loses tireless environmental defender

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Stan Stephens
From Stan Stephens’ journal on April 18, 1989:
“Today is absolute confusion. They found a lot of oil north of Perry Island in Wells Passage. Equipment is starting to break down. So there are less and less skimmers working. The oil is getting so spread out they cannot handle it. Here is a whole month gone by without a real understanding of those in charge how big Prince William Sound really is. I’m dedicating the rest of my life and spare time to the protection of the environment.”

Prince William Sound lost a passionate and dedicated defender on September 21, when Stan Stephens, Valdez resident and council board member since the organization started up in 1990, passed away. Stephens was 78.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Stephens was an Alaska resident since 1961. Arriving in April of that year, he first camped on vacant property, later purchasing the land and building his home in the North Pole area. Married in 1964 to Mary Helen, they raised their family of three daughters in North Pole.

Stephens was the owner and operator of Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises based in Valdez. The company, originally named North Star Marine Charters, began sport fishing charters in 1971 and over the years evolved into the sightseeing company it is today.

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