Division of Spill Prevention and Response Prevention Preparedness and Response

• Date: 5:15 p.m. Friday, April 24, 2020

2020 Valdez Marine Terminal Admin Sump Incident

2020 VMT Admin Sump Incident Fact Sheet 21

• A system is now in place to remove the sheen before the water enters the outflow at the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) small boat harbor. A series of tanks were installed at the shore to catch outflow before it enters the water and skim any sheen from the flow.
  • The outflow of the spill to the harbor is a buried perforated pipe from early VMT construction, which ends at the shoreline. The outflow is currently discharging high volumes of snow melt and rain water with a minor sheen being recovered from the tanks.
  • Crews continue excavation and investigation of the flow path and primary entry point where oily water is making its way into Port Valdez in the vicinity of the VMT small boat harbor.
• The Unified Command has authorized the gradual decommissioning of crafts and crews from the Vessel of Opportunity (VOO) program that were called in to work the recovery and response at the start of the incident.
  • The vessels will be cleaned before their release from duty.
  • As many as 19 vessels and their crews have been part of the efforts:15 vessels and crews from Valdez have worked the entirety of the incident; four from Valdez performed a specific booming assignment and departed once completed.
• “We cannot overstate the gratitude we have for our neighbors in the Vessel of Opportunity program who answered the call and worked tirelessly and safely through some very long and challenging days and nights to protect Prince William Sound,” said Mike Day, Incident Commander and Alyeska representative in the Unified Command. “Their work and response truly epitomize the spirit of this program and the connection we all share with the region we call home.”
• Response crews used skimmers, current buster boom, monitored, and maintained boom systems during on-water operations overnight and through the day.
  • After reducing the primary boomed area by two-thirds earlier in the week, teams were working to further shrink the booming footprint Friday afternoon.
  • Boom systems remaining in place will collect sheen as tidal and wave action moves water against the attached sorbents.
  • As of 2 p.m. Friday, approximately 46,326 gallons of water/oil mix has been collected from recovery activities on the water. Crews continue measuring and analyzing the composition of the collected liquids, a process known as metering.
  • Approximately 14 barrels (590 gallons) of oil has been recovered from the collected volumes metered; in addition, less than one barrel (30 gallons) of oil was recovered from land.
  • Metering work continues and the exact volume of oil spilled remains undetermined.
  • A Friday overflight above the work area and Port Valdez observed that all sheen was within containment.
• 13 Alyeska work boats remain on scene, including landing craft, inflatables, river boats and others.
• TAPS operations are not impacted.
• More than 240 people are involved in the response, locally and around the state.
  • All are working in accordance with state, local and Alyeska company policies and mandates in order to protect the health of the workforce and the surrounding communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• For the safety of response personnel and the public, a Temporary Flight Restriction area remains in place, set at 5,000 feet elevation and one mile in radius over the VMT working area.

For information and updates on the response, check back to this ADEC site.