Incident Update #3

Valdez, Alaska –

• Four injuries associated with the response have been reported. Personnel have been evaluated and treated.

• Personnel are responding to reports of impacted wildlife. No wildlife has been captured or confirmed as oiled.
o Confirming, collecting and documenting impacted wildlife is done carefully by responders and can take time.
o To minimize stress and injury to oiled wildlife, members of the public are asked to not attempt to capture any oiled wildlife. This can endanger the safety of both the public and the animals.
o Personnel are standing by to receive impacted wildlife if needed. Other stabilization and treatment facilities are setting up.

• Maritime transportation remains open, however, the U.S. Coast Guard safety zone in place around the spill has been expanded to a 20-mile radius from the incident site. Transiting vessels must navigate around the zone.

• Fishing remains open in Port Valdez and Prince William Sound. However, do not eat any harvested food if you see, smell, or taste oil on it. Avoid setting gear or harvesting wherever oil sheens can be seen or smelled on the beach or water.

• A 20 square mile and 5,000 foot temporary flight restriction zone is in place over the incident scene.

• Nearly 1,000 personnel are involved in the response, including in the field and at the Valdez-based command post.
o Adequate trained resources are available for the response. Volunteers are not requested at this time.
• The response is being conducted according to a response plan using established equipment, technology and techniques to safely, efficiently and effectively manage protection, containment and cleanup of the environment.
o At this time, we are not reviewing alternative methods or equipment.
o If you would like to suggest a new response technology or technique with a member of the unified response, we ask that you contact the desired organization after the response has been concluded.

• The source has been controlled, and the vessel remains stable. A salvage plan and dive plan have been approved. Work is underway to further stabilize the vessel in preparation for lightering the remaining cargo.
o Salvage crews do not plan to move the vessel from its location at Knowles Head. The area is sheltered and deemed safe for continuing salvage operations.

• Six on-scene task force teams continue containment and recovery efforts:
o As of 10:15 a.m., 5 open water response task force crews have recovered approximately 4.3M gallons of oily water mix.
o When recovering oil, spill skimmers will usually collect some water at the same time as cleaning up the oil. The collected (emulsified) mixture is pumped by skimmers into storage- usually a large barge or tank for measurement at a later date.

• Tracking buoys are deployed to monitor the trajectory of the spill. Overflights are also being conducted.

• 660 feet of open water boom are deployed at the spill.

• 1,100 feet of near shore boom deployed.

• Environmentally sensitive areas have been identified at Knowles Bay. Vessels and personnel are deployed at those locations and are conducting exclusion booming, live deflection, and free oil recovery.

• 298 Vessels of Opportunity have been activated as part of the response.

• Twelve staging areas are active in the vicinity of the response to support equipment and personnel deployments to the spill.

• The Unified Command includes representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Dept. Of Environmental Conservation, and Fairwater Tankers Alaska LLC.

• The Trans Alaska Pipeline System remains operational.


Background:

At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 12, the tanker T/V Western Sea was involved in a collision while anchored in Prince William Sound, in the vicinity of Knowles Head, causing a spill of crude oil to water.
The Tanker Western Sea is owned by Fairwater Tankers Alaska LLC. Fairwater is taking responsibility for responding to the incident.
The cause of the incident is under investigation. A separate unit of the U.S. Coast Guard (not involved in the response efforts) is the entity leading the investigation. To ensure accuracy, findings will be released when the investigation is completed.

Individuals involved with the incident were tested for drugs and alcohol as part of the incident investigation.
The Unified Command will not release information about the ongoing investigation.