- Date: 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, 2020
2020 VMT Admin Sump Incident Fact Sheet 1
- The spill amount remains undetermined; as of 6 a.m. Tuesday, approximately 326 barrels (13,692 gallons) of oily water was recovered
- On-water and on-land response and recovery operations continue; investigation of spill source is underway
- Currently 12 vessels of opportunity in addition to Alyeska workboats working the response on the water, placing boom and operating skimmers, and providing surveillance
- On land, crews have collected oiled snow and ice and are now using machinery to dig around the sump area to further investigate
- Air operations at 10 a.m. noted that there is no noticeable sheen outside the boom areas
- Numerous Environment Taskforces are either working or standing by
- There has been a report of one oiled bird and wildlife task forces are on scene and continue surveying the area
- Two sensitive areas in Port Valdez are being protected by boom as a precaution; the nearby Solomon Gulch Hatchery and the Valdez Duck Flats.
- There are no current operational impacts to TAPS, and the IMT has determined that the spill in unrelated to berth loading operations.
- No injuries reported
- Responders are aware of state, local and Alyeska company policies to keep workers safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The IMT is actively enforcing those policies and mandates. Teams are taking precautions in their work to manage risks.
- An oil tanker, The California, arrived at the VMT today; mitigations were made to ensure safe arrival and loading operations at VMT’s Berth 5, the farthest operational berth from the spill area; there was no sheen in the vicinity of Berth 5 when The California docked, and crews will continue monitoring the area and will respond if needed.
- Unified Command is overseeing the local, state and federal emergency responders.
- The main priorities of the response are the safety of response personnel and community, the protection of the environment, and open communication with public and stakeholders throughout the response
Background
On Sunday, April 12, at approximately 8 p.m., crews on the Valdez Marine Terminal observed a sheen on water near the VMT small boat harbor. Responders were on scene within the hour. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company stood up an Incident Management Team on Monday night in response to the ongoing investigation and management of a spill to water. On Tuesday, a Unified Command, with representatives from Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and the United States Coast Guard, was established to facilitate the ongoing response.
For information and updates on the response, check back to this ADEC site.
Indicates an external site.