A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew performs an overflight of the tug Pathfinder Dec. 24, 2009, in Prince William Sound. The Pathfinder went aground on Bligh Reef Wednesday evening and the Coast Guard, The Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Conservation, Crowley Marine, Ship Escort Response Vessel System and O'Brien's Group are responding to the grounding. U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen (via YouTube).
Showing posts with label uscg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uscg. Show all posts
Monday, December 28, 2009
USCG Press Release: Pathfinder response winds down
Press release online has photos from the response: Pathfinder response winds down
VALDEZ, Alaska - The tug Pathfinder was moored at Port of Valdez early Sunday morning after being safely towed from Busby Island in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
Crews will begin to remove fuel from the vessel over the weekend. A limited amount of diesel fuel will remain on board in order to power ship systems while the vessel’s damage is more fully assessed.
The results of the today’s observation flight did not indicate any sign of fuel spilled during the vessel’s transit to Valdez. Crews are decontaminating boom and recovered fuel storage tanks so they can be returned to standby service in local oil spill response inventories.
The Unified Command is maintaining oversight of the operations as crews shift from recovery of the Pathfinder, to equipment clean up and the damage assessment of the tug. The response will transition to project status at 6 p.m. Sunday.
“Crowley remains focused on removing the diesel fuel remaining on the vessel,” said Jim Butler, Crowley information officer. “Once the fuel has been removed, Crowley will conduct a detailed damage assessment of the vessel.”
“Response crews worked long hours during some of the shortest days of the year,” said Steve Russell, environmental specialist with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. “Crews conducted their work with the highest priority on safety and environmental protection.”
The incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard. Crowley is cooperating fully with the investigation while decontaminating the vessels and equipment used and demobilizing resources. Results will be available upon completion of the investigation.
Editors note [USCG's editor]: The Joint Information Center for the Pathfinder response will be standing down at 6 p.m. Sunday. Media should direct specific inquiries to individual agency or company representative.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
USCG Press Release: Coast Guard continues coordination efforts on Bligh Reef grounding
USCG Press Release (includes photos, time of post not available):
VALDEZ, Alaska – Coast Guard C-130 aircraft and MH-60 helicopter crews from Air Station Kodiak conducted over-flights Thursday of the diesel spill in the vicinity of Bligh Reef.
The tug Pathfinder went aground on Bligh Reef Wednesday evening creating a light grey or silver diesel sheen spanning an area approximately three miles long and 30 yards wide approximately one mile east of Glacier Island.
Projections from both the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration along with the Ship Escort and Response Vessel System concur that the sheen is not predicted to go ashore Glacier Island over the next 24 to 36 hours and is rapidly dissipating.
This afternoon’s over-flight images show the sheen to be light. The Valdez Star, an oil recovery vessel, continues to use oil skimmers to recover as much diesel as possible. The fuel is difficult to recover due to the light nature of the sheen. The diesel that is not recovered will dissipate naturally with wind and tidal action.
The unified command center consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Conservation and Crowley Marine Services, Inc. are planning to remove the remaining fuel from the Pathfinder Thursday evening and is expected to last approximately eight hours. Following the lightering, the tug is scheduled to return to Valdez for a more comprehensive damage assessment. It will be escorted by spill response resources in case any sheening is detected while transiting to Valdez. A more accurate amount of diesel fuel lost will be available.
VALDEZ, Alaska – Coast Guard C-130 aircraft and MH-60 helicopter crews from Air Station Kodiak conducted over-flights Thursday of the diesel spill in the vicinity of Bligh Reef.
The tug Pathfinder went aground on Bligh Reef Wednesday evening creating a light grey or silver diesel sheen spanning an area approximately three miles long and 30 yards wide approximately one mile east of Glacier Island.
Projections from both the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration along with the Ship Escort and Response Vessel System concur that the sheen is not predicted to go ashore Glacier Island over the next 24 to 36 hours and is rapidly dissipating.
This afternoon’s over-flight images show the sheen to be light. The Valdez Star, an oil recovery vessel, continues to use oil skimmers to recover as much diesel as possible. The fuel is difficult to recover due to the light nature of the sheen. The diesel that is not recovered will dissipate naturally with wind and tidal action.
The unified command center consisting of the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Conservation and Crowley Marine Services, Inc. are planning to remove the remaining fuel from the Pathfinder Thursday evening and is expected to last approximately eight hours. Following the lightering, the tug is scheduled to return to Valdez for a more comprehensive damage assessment. It will be escorted by spill response resources in case any sheening is detected while transiting to Valdez. A more accurate amount of diesel fuel lost will be available.
USCG Press Release: Unified Command established for Pathfinder grounding
VALDEZ, Alaska - The Coast Guard, State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and Crowley Marine Services have established a unified command and are working jointly to address the environmental impact and response efforts concerning the grounding of the tug Pathfinder Wednesday evening.
The establishment of a unified command is a way for agencies that share overlapping jurisdictions and responsibilities for an event and can manage the response from a single command post. A unified command allows agencies with different legal, geographic, and functional authorities and responsibilities to work together effectively without affecting individual agency authority, responsibility, or accountability. Under a unified command, a single, coordinated action plan will direct all activities. The incident commanders will supervise a single command and general staff organization and speak with one voice.
Currently, the Coast Guard Cutter Long Island is on scene. Two Coast Guard Aircraft, a C-130 and an MH-60 helicopter have arrived to get aerial views of the situation.
The Valdez Star, an oil response vessel is skimming the water in the vicinity of the light silver diesel sheen. The sheen is 1 to 1.5 miles east of Glacier Island and is approximately 3 miles long and 30 yards wide.
The tug Pathfinder is still anchored and boomed off south of Busby Island. The vessel is no longer sheening and plan developments to lighter the tug Pathfinder are underway at the unified command center.
USCG PRESS RELEASE: Coast Guard responding to tug grouding in Prince William Sound
VALDEZ, Alaska – Coast Guard personnel from Marine Safety Unit Valdez, Sector Anchorage and Cutter Long Island are responding to a 136-foot Crowley tug grounding on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound Thursday.
The Pathfinder crew had completed an ice survey and was heading back to its port in Valdez when the vessel struck the reef Wednesday evening. Vessel Traffic System Prince William Sound personnel received a radio call at 6:15 p.m. from Pathfinder’s master via VHF radio reporting the grounding.
The Pathfinder cleared the reef and proceeded to deeper waters at about 6:50 p.m. Anchoring just south of Busby Island, the tug’s six crewmembers reportedly deployed 200-feet of fuel containment booms around the vessel.
Two of the tug’s centerline diesel fuel tanks were reported breached with a potential spill of 33,500 gallons. The total capacity of the vessel is approximately127,700 gallons of diesel fuel. None of the crewmembers were reported injured.
The tugboat Invader and oil recovery boat Valdez Star are enroute to the location of the grounding to offer any possible assistance.
Two divers were tranported by the landing signal craft Alaska Challenge. Divers conducted an underwater survey of the Pathfinder’s hull at approximately 2:30 a.m. but have not provided a report yet. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak H-C130 Hercules aircraft is scheduled to conduct a overflight Thursday about 10 a.m.
The Pathfinder is a Crowley Marine Services docking and escort tug for the Trans Alaska Pipeline System Tankers. MSU Valdez is investigating the cause of the grounding.
Two tankers departing the Port of Valdez have been delayed to allow for Coast Guard and other response vessels to operate.
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