The Council held three events in Kodiak on Wednesday through Friday, September 18-20, 2024, including the Council’s annual board meeting, a youth education event and a public reception.
The Council conducted regular business during the meeting, including updates from Council ex officio members, staff and committees. Other topics included on the agenda were:
An activity report by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company on the Valdez Marine Terminal and Ship Escort Response Vessel System operations, including an update on Alyeska’s efforts to address concerns identified in the Council’s report “Assessment of Risks and Safety Culture at Alyeska’s Valdez Marine Terminal.”
A presentation by representatives from Repsol, partners with Santos, on the Pikka Project as it will relate to the Valdez Marine Terminal.
A report on describing a hotspot analysis of marine bird survey data conducted in Prince William Sound during March 2007-2014 and 2018-2023.
A summary of data analyzed from the Council’s weather buoys located near the Valdez Marine Terminal and Valdez Duck Flats.
Information on the Council’s ongoing review of the pilot testing to identify methods to evaluate the secondary containment liners at the Valdez Marine Terminal.
An update on a major amendment on the Prince William Sound Tanker Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan, approved in June 2024.
A report on a broadscale survey of non-indigenous marine species across Prince William Sound, conducted in summer 2023.
A presentation on an ongoing Council project to examine miscommunication in maritime contexts.
Anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, flu, or cold should attend virtually.
Council board meetings are routinely recorded and may be disseminated to the public by the Council or by the news media.
After retiring from piloting, Terpening spent a few years commercial fishing out of Bristol Bay with his son.
A teenage Gordon Terpening grew up watching ships navigating in and out of San Francisco Bay, and knew early on exactly what he wanted to do after high school.
“Once I heard about what a ship’s pilot did, I decided that’s what I wanted to do.”
After graduating from the California Maritime Academy with a Bachelor’s in Nautical Science, Terpening realized these ambitions and went to sea. His first job, towing lumber out of Coos Bay, Oregon, was just the beginning. He’s been involved in the maritime industry in one way or another ever since. Turns out he was one of the lucky humans who get to love their life’s work.
“I’m a sea going guy,” he says. The combination of peaceful and exciting fit him perfectly.
“Going to sea is basically hours and hours of boredom broken up by moments of sheer terror.”
Over the years, Terpening has piloted vessels around the U.S. and the world. It’s not just the locations that varied, it’s the type of work. He’s worked on a seagoing dredge doing underwater excavation, provided ocean transportation for the Navy as a civilian in the Military Sealift Command, on board tankers in the Far East, hauled jet fuel around the world, and supplied and towed oil rigs near Trinidad and Tobago.
“Generally, it was always so rough off the east coast of Trinidad,” Terpening says. “The trade winds are blowing from the east and the current from South America is flowing north, so you’re always in the trough.”
“This was before the Amoco Cadiz in France and before the Brayer in Shetland, and so the big spills were kind of yet to come.”
These experiences fine-tuned his skills at handling boats and trained him well for his years as a vessel pilot in Alaska.
Terpening says piloting in some other parts of the world, in and out of the same port day after day, can seem dull in comparison.
“When you’re a pilot in southwestern Alaska, all the ports are all different, and they all have their own problems,” he says. “And you get to see the wildest parts of Alaska. I loved it.”
Terpening describes how he analyzed the approach to each port, evaluating the forces such as wind, waves, and propulsion that are acting on the ship.
“It’s kind of like constantly drawing vector diagrams in your head,” he says. “That’s what I see when I’m docking a ship. It’s all just math.”
Terpening says he’s happy to be able to use these varied experiences to contribute to the work of the Council’s Port Operation and Vessel Traffic System Committee. He thinks that the Council’s independent oversight, as mandated by the U.S. Congress, makes a big difference.
“I try to tell other people about how amazing I think this committee is,” Terpening says. He pointed out a Council report on “messenger lines” as an example.
Passing a messenger line is the first step in setting up a tow line between a tug and a tanker in distress. The lighter weight messenger line helps responders connect the heavy tow lines. In 2020, the Council studied the best methods and tools for passing these lines between vessels. Little research had been done on the topic before.
“I mean that is amazing stuff that nobody would do unless you had the funding and the wherewithal of a committee like ours.”
Gordon Terpening is a member of the Council’s Port Operations and Vessel Traffic Systems Committee. The committee monitors port and tanker operations in Prince William Sound.
Systems that treat tanker ballast water before release are a critical step in preventing damage from invasive species
Invasive European green crab, or Carcinus maenus, were first spotted in Southeast Alaska in 2022. These invaders can be identified by counting the spines and bumps along the front edge of the carapace (shell). There are three rostral bumps in the middle, with one eye bump on the outside of the rostral bumps, followed by five spine bumps on each side next to each eye. The carapace is up to 10 cm/3.5 inches from front to back and side to side. More at www.pwsrcac.org/greencrab
In recent years, companies that transport oil through Prince William Sound have been installing systems to treat the seawater their ships take on as ballast.
Ships pick up ballast water after unloading cargo to help stabilize the vessel during travel. The problem is that larvae and other plankton in the ocean water are also taken on board, where they can easily catch a ride in tanker ballast water to a new port.
Of particular concern to our region is the European green crab, one of the most widespread invaders on the planet. Where they become established, invasive green crab can decimate local species and habitats. Their larvae are known to travel in the ballast water of tankers, and studies have shown that they can survive in climates found in Prince William Sound.
Until recently, the most common method to reduce risk of transporting invasive species was to exchange ballast water in the open ocean. Mid-trip, the water would be pumped out of the hold and refilled with water from the open ocean. The theory is that fewer invasive species live in the open ocean and those that do are less likely to survive in a shoreline environment. However, larvae of invasive species can remain in sediments in the tank bottom. In addition, tankers that traveled between Alaska and West Coast refineries weren’t required to exchange ballast water until new regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency went into effect in late 2008. Some would exchange ballast water anyway, but if weather or sea conditions were dangerous, the exchange might not happen.
Ballast water is ocean water pumped into the belly of a ship. This extra weight helps maintain stability while underway. Ballast water is usually carried in the space between the outer hull of the tanker and the inner cargo holds, and does not come in contact with the oil.
In 2018, a federal law known as the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, or VIDA, was passed into law to streamline regulations for discharges from commercial vessels such as oil tankers. Among other changes, VIDA set a national management standard for vessels to meet. The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Coast Guard are continuing to finalize the rules and regulations for compliance with VIDA.
Meanwhile, tankers in Prince William Sound have already installed state of the art onboard systems to treat ballast water before its released.
These systems are designed to reduce the risk of introducing organisms from ballast water. Methods include filtration, chemicals, ultraviolet radiation, electrolysis, or a combination of these methods.
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s National Ballast Information Clearinghouse hosts an online database with information about ballast water treatment and release: nbic.si.edu/database
Donna Schantz is executive director for the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council. Robert Archibald is the president of the Council’s board of directors and represents the City of Homer.
Correcting the record: the Council is concerned about protecting whale populations from impacts of the oil industry in our region.
The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council is an independent nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote the environmentally safe operation of the Valdez Marine Terminal and associated oil tankers. Our work is guided by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and our contract with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Although the Council is funded chiefly by Alyeska, we are completely independent from industry and serve in an advisory role.
The Council’s member organizations are communities in the region affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, as well as commercial fishing, aquaculture, Alaska Native, recreation, tourism and environmental groups.
At a recent Council board meeting, held in Valdez on May 2-3, 2024, a draft resolution in support of voluntary speed reductions for oil tankers in Prince William Sound was presented by an outside individual. A recent opinion piece contained incorrect information about the Council’s position on this issue and mischaracterized the discussion that took place. The Council would like to correct the record.
The Council has been studying the issue of vessel speed reductions to reduce whale strikes through its technical committees for some time. The Council recognizes that vessel-whale strikes are a widespread problem and that reducing vessel speed is currently the most effective way to lower the number of whale strikes. We also recognize that while there is currently a lack of information and research specifically regarding the prevalence and risk of tanker-whale strikes in Prince William Sound, lack of information does not necessarily mean an absence of harm.
We want to make it clear that the Council is concerned about protecting whale populations from impacts of the oil industry in our region.
During our May meeting, along with the above concerns, Council members discussed current speed limits for laden oil tankers; how slower speeds could reduce air emissions and noise pollution from tankers; the potential increase in crew hours resulting from slower speeds; and whether longer transit time through Prince William Sound could affect safety or have other unintended consequences.
A motion was then passed to issue an advisory letter acknowledging the known benefits of reduced vessel speeds and encouraging further scientific study to better understand the potential occurrence of vessel-whale strikes in our region. The advisory letter will outline the Council’s concerns, questions, and advice regarding the potential outcomes of reduced speeds to tanker operations as a method to mitigate whale strikes, among other environmental concerns. This letter will be directed to relevant regulatory agencies and the Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) tanker operators.
The topic of full redundancy in engine and steering systems on all TAPS oil tankers has also recently been brought to the Council’s attention by a member of the public. The request we received was to promote an amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requiring full redundancy in all newly built tankers in the U.S. The Council believes that, given the importance of the Act, any potential amendments to the legislation should only be considered after thorough vetting and with the utmost due diligence. The Council has not had the opportunity to vet this topic through our technical committees, which is how advice for improving safety is developed at the Council.
The U.S. Coast Guard annually certifies the Council as the federally approved citizens’ advisory group for Prince William Sound, pursuant to the Act. Since the Council was first certified in 1991, the Coast Guard has consistently determined that we foster the general goals and purposes of the Act, and are broadly representative of the communities and interests as envisioned therein.
The Council provides technically and scientifically supported advice and recommendations to promote the safe operation of the Valdez terminal and associated tankers, and reduce the environmental impacts of oil transportation through our region. Council Board and technical committee meetings are open to the public and recordings are available on request. Any member of the public interested in listening to the May board meeting is encouraged to contact the Council at 1-800-478-7221.
