Photo Credit: Dave Janka
VALDEZ – While many in the town of Valdez were busy preparing for the impending tourism season last Wednesday, a small group of locals was boarding the Stan Stephens boat “Glacier Spirit” for a tour to observe the annual oil spill response training for fishing vessels. The tour was put on by Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.
Local fishermen participating in the training are contracted by the Ship Escort Response Vessel System, also known as SERVS, to respond in the event of an oil spill from a Prince William Sound tanker or the Valdez Marine Terminal. SERVS is Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s oil spill removal organization and coordinates annual spill response exercises in multiple Southcentral Alaska communities, including Valdez.
The sheer number of boats involved in the oil spill response training was eye-opening for many on the tour, and narrators from both PWSRCAC and Alyeska/SERVS described activities as they were going on. Equipment and technologies being used for oil spill prevention were explained as well as tactics and response measures.
”It takes a lot of coordination and cooperation from so many different entities in the community and that’s really fun for the students to see,” said Gilson Middle School teacher Ann Norris. Students from both Valdez High School and Gilson Middle School were onboard to observe the drill as well as community members from various organizations and businesses.
Alyeska contracts fishing vessels to participate in oil spill response and RCAC’s Jeremy Robida said they conduct oil spill drills several times a year to be prepared in the event of a spill. PWSRCAC gives credit to the contracted fishing vessels for helping to ensure a quick response to a spill saying, “These contracted vessels and their crews help ensure the most comprehensive response measures are in place for both open water and nearshore resources. A major lesson of the Exxon Valdez spill was that incorporating local mariners into the spill response system helps ensure a quick, efficient and effective response”.