A new report on the effects of small amounts of hydrocarbons on Port Valdez shrimp is now available. The report was approved by the board of directors during the May board meeting.
News release:
Are shrimp caught in Port Valdez contaminated by Alaska North Slope crude oil? The council recently worked with scientists at the National Auke Bay Lab in Juneau to answer that question.
By Joe Banta
Council Project Manager
The Environmental Protection Agency is updating the rules for using chemicals, including dispersants, to respond to oil spills in the United States. This update is intended to address the concerns that arose during and after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010. During that disaster, an estimated 210 million gallons of oil was spilled, and over 1.8 million gallons of dispersants were applied to the spill.
Dispersants are chemicals applied to spilled oil to try to break down the oil into small particles with the hope that these particles disperse into the water column rather than remain floating on the surface in a slick.
By Austin Love
Council Project Manager
Crude oil tankers in Prince William Sound are using cleaner fuel than they were just a few years ago. New regulations, created by the International Maritime Organization, aim to improve air quality by limiting pollutants emitted from large ships. The regulations target three air pollutants produced by internal combustion engines and released in vessel exhaust: sulfur oxides, particulate matter, and nitrogen oxides.
The first of two new SeaRiver oil tankers is expected to begin service in Prince William Sound later this year.
SeaRiver, the shipping arm of ExxonMobil, held a naming ceremony for the vessel Liberty Bay on April 25. The second vessel will be named Eagle Bay.
Built by Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc., both vessels measure 823.5 feet long and 144 feet wide, and have double hull protection for both cargo and fuel tanks. The vessels are capable of carrying 115,000 tons of weight including cargo, fuel, ballast water, provisions and crew. Cargo capacity is 800,000 barrels (approximately 33.6 million gallons). Propelled by a slow speed diesel engine, the vessels’ “service speed” is 15 knots (approximately 17 miles per hour).