P.O.BOX 196660Anchorage, AK 99519-6660

SERVS’ Mission:To maintain a constant state of readiness to assist tankers in the safe navigation through Prince William Sound and to provide oil spill response services to the TAPS marine oil shippers, Valdez Marine Terminal and pipeline in accordance with the oil spill response agreements and plans.

www.alyeska-pipe.comP.O.BOX 109Valdez, AK 99686SERVS

Ship Escort/Response Vessel System

Alyeska’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS) was created in 1989 after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Its mission: to prevent spills and, when necessary, provide spill response and preparedness capabilities for Alyeska and Alaska crude oil shipping companies operating in Prince William Sound. To fulfill this mission, SERVS maintains a constant state of readiness – crews are available to respond to an oil spill 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and its fleet and equipment are among the best and most innovative in the world.

SERVS’ primary objective is prevention. Working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard and tanker operators, SERVS personnel monitor vessel traffic and provide tug escorts to tankers traveling through the Sound. Every laden tanker is accompanied by two tugs. Outgoing tankers and tugs make their way from Port Valdez, through the Valdez Narrows and to the Hinchinbrook Entrance, 64 miles away. These state-of-the-art, high-powered escort tugs also carry spill response equipment such as boom, skimmers and even smaller workboats.

In the rare event of an oil spill, SERVS is required and equipped to recover 300,000 barrels of oil in the first 72 hours. Its spill response equipment and crews are staged in key areas around Prince William Sound. Response equipment includes four large purpose-built oil spill recover barges, a specialized nearshore response barge, and dozens of smaller barges and workboats. Also included are hatchery protection systems and a sea otter rehabilitation facility that has received global recognition from marine mammal experts. The barges house the largest, most efficient disc skimmers in the world and modern boom systems that are effective at higher speeds than the traditional boom.

Alyeska also contracts with more than 400 captains and fishing vessels based around Prince William Sound, from Valdez to Tatitlek to Kodiak, to provide spill response support. The award-winning Vessel of Opportunity program began in 1990 and now its boats and crews are integral parts of Alyeska’s response readiness. These teams meet annually with SERVS staff for extensive training, refreshers and deployments.

Because every second is critical in a response, personnel train constantly to react quickly and efficiently in the event of a spill. SERVS performs more than 70 drills and exercises annually, ranging in size and scale, some planned in advance, some unannounced. There are regular call-outs to confirm spill responders’ availability, and there are also intensive, full-scale drills that simulate large spills in Prince William Sound that involve hundreds of emergency response team participants from numerous government agencies and industry and community organizations.

In 2018, Alyeska welcomed a fleet of 14 new vessels into Prince William Sound: five escort tugs, four smaller tugs for docking and undocking tankers and other duties, four purpose-built response barges and a utility vessel. This fleet and its wide range of performance, safety and technological improvements join a SERVS team that is more committed and capable than ever to protecting the Sound and its residents. This combined force of professionals is committed to maintaining the safe operations of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System and the ensuring continued safe transportation of Alaska North Slope crude for years to come.

Primary Fleet, Prevention and Response Assets• 10 escort & response tugs

o Five escort tugs, four general purpose tugs, and a large utility tug

• Eight large oil recovery barges• More than 140 skimming units• 49 miles of various boom• Five hatchery protection sites• Five response centers