Oil Spill Response

Responders perform well overall in drills in 2024

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Two fishing vessels pull boom behind them. Each boat is attached to one end of the boom so that when they move forward, the boom forms a curve. In this first image, the boats are parallel with each other so that the boom is in the shape of the letter U.

Many of the drills and exercises conducted by the industry last year went well, according to the latest drill summary released by the Council. During the 14 drills and exercises observed in 2024, responders were generally well-practiced and activities went smoothly. The summary report also contains suggestions for future exercises.

Tanker spill exercise

In October, Marathon Petroleum conducted a large exercise, simulating a spill of almost 3 million gallons of crude oil from a tanker into central Prince William Sound.

One goal of the exercise was to test how well responders transitioned command of the response from Alyeska’s Ship Escort Response Vessel System, or SERVS, to Marathon. Part of SERVS’ role in an oil spill is to initiate and manage the response activities until the company that owns the tanker arrives on the scene.

“The transition from Alyeska to Marathon was very well done,” says Roy Robertson, drill monitor for the Council. “The Marathon team members took the time to shadow SERVS’ team before the transition to learn the system and processes that are unique to our region.”

“Marathon also kept most of SERVS’ team around to provide support which has not always been done in the past,” Robertson added.

Three people surround a metal table in a shiny new facility with modern equipment. One of the three is directing the other two on otter cleaning techniques. The "otter" on the table is a stuffed toy.
A wildlife expert teaches Council staff members Donna Schantz and Joe Lally how to clean crude oil from an otter. A stuffed toy otter is used in these training sessions.

Terminal spill exercises

In 2024, Alyeska conducted several exercises that simulated a spill from the terminal. During one of these, Alyeska set up its new units for treating oiled wildlife such as otters and birds. These units contain state of the art equipment and can be set up quickly in the event of a spill.

Polar Tankers conducted emergency towing exercises

Polar Tankers led the pack in tanker towing exercises. The industry is required to perform one each quarter, although a total of five were conducted in 2024. The Council observed two of the five. Polar Tankers volunteered to conduct three.

“These exercises do add time to the tanker’s trip,” says Robertson. “But they provide valuable training for the crews.”

The report recommends rotating the exercises between the various shipping companies.

Protecting sensitive areas

Several exercises focused on tactics to keep oil away from shorelines or other areas that are particularly susceptible to damage from oil contamination.

This type of exercise is often held during the annual spill response training for fishing vessel crews. The small vessels that participate in these trainings would mostly be used in this capacity in a real incident.

Some areas to improve

The report included suggestions for improving future exercises, including:

  • More deployments of the new oil spill response barge, the Allison Creek, which replaced an older barge of the same name last year. The new barge is an improvement, but does have more equipment on its deck.
  • Practice response operations during reduced visibility. More than 5 years have elapsed since the last exercise was conducted in low visibility. The escort tugs have special equipment on board that improves responders’ ability to spot oil in these conditions.

2024 Annual Drill Report

More details and additional recommendations are available in the full report: 2024 Annual Drill Monitoring Report 

Law could adversely affect fishing vessel response program

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In 2023, a Federal law was passed that could affect Alyeska’s contracted fleet of fishing vessels trained to help respond in case of an oil spill in Prince William Sound.

Fishing fleet available for a quick response

When the Exxon Valdez oil spill happened, the response was delayed. Much of the damage could have been lessened if clean-up efforts had started immediately. One of the most important lessons of that spill was that local fishing crews can help with a quick response.

The local fishing crews who joined the 1989 response realized that pulling oil spill boom was similar to pulling a net of fish. They also knew the region’s waters well, and were aware of dangers like shallow areas or changing tides that could leave a vessel stranded, among other hazards.

In the years since the spill, Alyeska formalized this relationship, developing a program to make sure they have a contracted fleet of vessels that are trained, on-call, and immediately available to support a response in case of another spill. Today, Alyeska holds contracts with more than 350 of these vessels. They invest in training for crew members every year to make sure they are always ready to respond.

Alyeska trains the crews to handle oil spill response equipment, tow oil spill boom in proper formation, and tow the small barges used to store the oil and water mix that is recovered during a spill response. They are skilled in deploying, operating, and maintaining this equipment.

A small vessel pulls a bright yellow boom into formation during an exercise. The Valdez Marine Terminal is on shore in the background.
Alyeska responders practice maneuvers in front of the Valdez Marine Terminal. Photo by Nelli Vanderburg.

Consequences for the contracted fishing vessel program

If a real event were to occur, Alaska’s fishing crews would be ready to respond.

However, a section of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2023 that was intended to exempt fishing vessels from the inspection requirements when working an oil spill was interpreted by Coast Guard to require the vessels to undergo inspections.

These vessels are uninspected and were designed and built specifically for fishing, not oil spill response. These vessels have not been subject to Coast Guard inspection before and many would not be able to meet inspection requirements, meaning they would be excluded from participating in a response.

“Trying to replace uninspected fishing vessels with vessels that meet Coast Guard inspection requirements would completely dismantle the program that has been part of the response system in Prince William Sound for decades,” said Donna Schantz, executive director for the Council. “This would greatly diminish oil spill response capabilities in our region, as well as the entire nation. The trained fleet, made up of contracted local fisherman who understand the waters, are the backbone of the response system and are essential to help mitigate impacts to people, communities, economies, and the environment.”

Workgroup partnership looking for a solution

The Council has been participating in a workgroup to help develop a solution that would allow the current fleet to remain in operation. Members include the Council, Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council, Alyeska/SERVS, and other industry and oil spill removal organizations across the country.

New maps show winter hotspots for marine birds

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Researchers have completed a new analysis that will help protect marine birds in Prince William Sound from oil spills. Anne Schaefer and Dr. Mary Anne Bishop from the Prince William Sound Science Center compiled data from surveys in Prince William Sound conducted during March between 2007-2014 and 2018-2023.

Analysis of weather conditions will help improve spill response

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How to read a wind rose: This graphic, referred to as a “wind rose,” helps researchers visualize average wind direction, frequency, and speed. This rose represents all of the data for June 2020. The bars point toward the direction the wind is blowing from, the length represents the frequency of wind from that direction, and the color indicates wind speed. This particular rose shows that winds during June 2020 were generally from the west and some were from the east. The strongest winds came from the west and were between 10 to 20 knots (approximately 11.5 to 23 miles per hour).

A new study will help responders plan for the effects of weather on an oil spill. Dr. Rob Campbell, a researcher at the Prince William Sound Science Center, has been working with the Council to collect data about ocean currents, wind direction and speed, wave direction and heights, and other information from two buoys in Prince William Sound.

The buoys have been in place since 2019, and have collected enough information to begin to analyze trends. Dr. Campbell recently analyzed the nearly two million pieces of information.

Dr. Campbell found that the air and water temperatures generally followed a typical annual cycle for a subarctic region. Highest temperatures were seen in August, and the lowest in February. There were a few deviations, however:

  • During the summers of 2019 and 2020, the region experienced a marine heatwave, referred to by locals as “The Blob.” These unusually warm temperatures matched what was occurring in the Gulf of Alaska.
  • Late 2020 brought impacts from a La Nina event. La Nina is a climate pattern associated with cooler temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

Regional temperatures increasing

Temperature data has been collected in the region since 1908. Dr. Campbell was able to compare this historical data with data from the buoys to confirm a warming trend of approximately 5 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 114 years.

Surface temperatures trending warmer in winter, cooler in summer

Interestingly, in the last few years Port Valdez has experienced cooler than average temperatures at the water’s surface during summer. This appears to be related to melting glaciers, which have been melting much faster in the Gulf of Alaska region than the rest of the world. Most of this melting happens between May and October. Cold water from the Lowe River and Valdez Glacier Stream flows into the port, cooling the water’s surface.

How does this affect oil spill prevention and response?

Understanding how factors such as wind, waves, currents, and temperatures are behaving and changing can help responders better prepare for an oil spill, and make sure spill contingency plans are tailored to real conditions in the region. Real-time weather data can also provide valuable information during a spill response.

Full report:

Find more details about the analyses in Dr. Campbell’s report: Port Valdez Weather Buoy Analysis 2019 – 2023

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