In the Field
Operational Milestone with 11,000th Tanker Escort

On January 28, 2009, Alyeska Pipeline achieved an operational milestone. The company’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) conducted its 11,000th tanker escort.

The marine tanker Polar Resolution departed from the Valdez Marine Terminal under escort by SERVS’ tugs Alert, as the lead tug, and Aware, as the sentinel. SERVS was established in 1989 to prevent oil spills by assisting tankers in safe navigation through Prince William Sound, and to protect the environment by providing rapid and effective response services to the Valdez Marine Terminal and Alaska crude oil shippers.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate our employees for their dedication and personal commitment,” said Kevin Hostler, Alyeska President and Chief Executive Officer. “This milestone is a great example of the work we do in safeguarding the environment and transporting oil safely—day in and day out.”

In addition to its prevention service, SERVS has also developed comprehensive protection and oil spill recovery strategies to safeguard the waterways of Prince William Sound. SERVS provides two escort vessels—tugboats each with 10,200 hp—to every laden tanker that sails through Prince William Sound. During the escort, one of these tugs is tethered to laden tankers from the Valdez Marine Terminal, through the Valdez Narrows, to Bligh Reef. These tugboats maintain a minimum distance of a quarter-mile when performing their escort duties, ensuring that every tanker remains within visual sight and easy range for response.

SERVS’ second function is to provide response capabilities that allow Alyeska to meet a 300,000-barrel recovery capacity in 72 hours requirement. With pre-positioned equipment placed throughout Prince William Sound; 300+ professionally trained employees and contractors; and a pool of local fishermen from Southcentral Alaska that Alyeska continuously trains to respond to oil spill incidents, SERVS is at the forefront of prevention and response for United States marine crude oil transportation.