Online Observer

Why commemorate the Exxon Valdez oil spill 25 years later?

By LISA MATLOCK Outreach Coordinator In 2013, Alaska and Alaskans lost Prince William Sound advocate, Stan Stephens, a constant voice for safe oil transportation in Alaska. Also this past year, “Homer”, the last surviving sea otter rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, died at her aquarium home. Firsthand Exxon Valdez oil spill … Read more

Recent inspections for potential pipe corrosion at terminal show encouraging results

By TOM KUCKERTZ
Project Manager for Terminal Operations

Some of the council’s concerns regarding the unknown condition of the crude oil piping at the Valdez Marine Terminal have been answered by inspections performed this summer by Alyeska.

Causeway to Berth 4 at the Valdez Marine Terminal. Scaffolding has been installed and covered with plastic tarps to keep Alyeska's inspection crews and exposed piping dry during inspection. Photo by tom Kuckertz.
Causeway to Berth 4 at the Valdez Marine Terminal. Scaffolding has been installed and covered with plastic tarps to keep Alyeska’s inspection crews and exposed piping dry during inspection. Photo by tom Kuckertz.

In 2012, a routine inspection by Alyeska personnel of the 20-inch vertical riser pipes that feed crude oil to the loading arms on Berth 4 at the terminal revealed the existence of serious corrosion in some of the girth welds. Girth welds are welds that extend around the diameter of a pipe, typically used to join two sections of pipe.

Following this discovery in 2012, the remaining riser pipes on Berths 4 and 5 were subjected to additional inspections. More occurrences of vertical pipe girth weld corrosion were found and repaired. The cause of the corrosion in that particular region was attributed to water collecting under the pipe’s insulation in combination with a missing anti-corrosion paint coating in the vicinity of the girth weld.

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New outreach coordinator joins council staff

Lisa Matlock joined the council’s staff on August 12. Matlock brings almost twenty years of experience in coastal Alaska education and outreach to the position. Originally from southwestern Colorado, she is a “green brat,” a term for kids whose parents work for natural resource agencies, so she bounced around beautiful places in the west during … Read more

Long time volunteer retires from board

Marilyn Heddell has announced her resignation from the council’s board of directors. Heddell represented Whittier on the board since 1996. Heddell held several positions during her 17 years on the council. She was first elected as member-at-large on the council’s executive committee in 1996. She served as secretary from 1997 to 2001, spent two years … Read more

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