- Date: 9:30 a.m. Thursday, April 16, 2020
2020 Valdez Marine Terminal Admin Sump Incident
2020 VMT Admin Sump Incident Fact Sheet 4
- The spill amount remains undetermined; as of 6 a.m. Thursday, approximately 654 barrels (27,468 gallons) of water/oil mix was recovered.
- The source of the spill has been identified as a sump located uphill from the VMT small boat harbor. There is no continuing discharge of oil from this source. The cause of the spill is under investigation.
- No injuries were reported from overnight work. The worker injured during the previous nightshift was evaluated last night and received a full release to return to work with no further checkups required.
- TAPS operations have not been impacted.
- Heavy rain fell in the Valdez area through the night and is expected to continue Thursday. Rain impacts operations in many ways:
- Rain can potentially affect safety. Workers are being reminded to be aware of slick conditions caused by water and ice.
- Rain can also increase the surface area of a spill or sheen; crews are deploying additional boom to ensure the spill remains contained, and personnel are monitoring boom and its connection points to land.
- Rain-induced turbulence can also add to spill dispersion.
- There are nearly 200 people locally involved in the response: 142 working in the field, 56 assigned to the command post – some work remotely in the Valdez area as they are able; in addition, numerous others are supporting the efforts remotely 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.
- On-water operations summary:
- More than 4,300 feet of boom has been deployed
- 14 Vessel of Opportunity boats on scene
- 13 Alyeska work boats on scene, including landing craft, inflatables, river boats and others
- On-land operations summary:
- Engineers, inspectors and operations technicians are working to identify the spill’s flow route.
- Teams are excavating the area around the sump to help identify spill boundaries and potential flow route.
- Crews are continuing to manually collect contaminated snow and ice from the area around the sump.
- An oil tanker, The Polar Discovery, was loaded with Alaska North Slope Crude without incident and departed around 3 a.m. today (Thursday, April 16). Another tanker, The Alaskan Explorer, arrived around 4 a.m. and is being loaded at VMT’s Berth 5, the farthest operational berth from the spill area.
- Helicopter overflights resumed this morning and will continue as conditions allow. In addition, one unmanned aerial vehicle has been approved for overhead observation. Those services will be provided by a Valdez-area contractor used regularly by SERVS/Alyeska.
For information and updates on the response, check back to this ADEC site.
Indicates an external site.