Regional Response Team
Alaska Region Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan

30 August 1999

1) At 4:40 p.m. Friday, February 19 the vessel M/V HEKIFU went aground at Rocky Point at Dutch Harbor due to high winds. At 8:40 a.m. Saturday the vessel was refloated at high tide. No oil was observed in the water around the vessel. The vessel has 129,360 gallons of Bunker C heavy fuel oil, 20,454 gallons of diesel oil, and 5,220 gallons of lubricating oil on board. The vessel was temporarily anchored off Rocky Point (off the American President Line dock in Iliuliuk Bay near the entrance of Dutch Harbor). Winds had increased about 40 knots. The M/V Hekifu called for a pilot to move to safer anchorage. With the pilot aboard and the vessel attempting to weigh anchor, the winds suddenly (within 5 minutes) increased to 110 knots (as measured by a local tug), blowing the ship aground on Rocky Point. Tugs were able to pull the stern off Friday night and hold it until they were able to re-float the vessel on high tide Saturday morning. The engine room sustained a large dent about 10 inches from the sea chest. Had the dent been in the sea chest, piping would have been torn loose and the engine room would have flooded, sinking the vessel. Number 2 center fuel tank containing about 54,000 gallons of Bunker C fuel oil sustained a large crack. The fuel was found pressed up to the top of the tank and a water bottom had formed. The total spill potential for the vessel was 129,360 gallons of bunker C fuel oil, 20,454 gallons of diesel and 5220 gallons of lubricating oil. Much of this oil would have impacted the shoreline of Iliuliuk Bay, including Dutch Harbor, and the City of Unalaska. The refrigerated vessel is not regulated under State law and is not required to carry an oil spill contingency plan or to demonstrate the financial ability to clean up a spill.

2) On May 6^th, The Coast Guard intercepted a high seas drift vessel named the YING FA. The vessel had a Chinese flag, but was not claimed by the Chinese. USCG surveillance located the ship and brought it in to Adak, Alaska, to turn it over to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Once at the dock, they discovered the vessel had a significant anhydrous ammonia leak. It was determined the leak was "immediately dangerous to life and health." The USCG Pacific Strike Team responded and the remaining ammonia was released.

3) On May 30, ADEC and U.S. Coast Guard staff arrived in Goodnews Bay to investigate the report of oil seeping from the beach into the water, which created a significant sheen extending into the bay. Throughout the week of June 7, ADEC and U.S. Coast Guard staff continued oil recovery operations from the 100-foot long containment trench in Goodnews Bay. Approximately 190 gallons of emulsified diesel fuel has been collected. The partially buried piping to the Cities bulk fuel tanks adjacent to the washeteria was uncovered and pressure tested. A faulty pipe flange was discovered. Chronic dripping of fuel was noted from this piping. It’s unknown how long this problem has persisted. The City was informed to conduct repairs and/or replacement of the piping. The U.S. Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator hired a contract archeologist to serve as the Historic Properties Specialist for this incident. The Historic Properties Specialist provided on-site recommendations and technical assistance to help ensure that historic properties were not injured by response-related activities.

4) At approximately 1430 Saturday, June12, 1999 the cruise vessel Wilderness Adventurer grounded at Dundas Bay in Glacier Bay National Park. The Wilderness Adventurer is owned and operated by Glacier Bay Tours and is a 156-foot "pocket cruiser" with a maximum fuel capacity of 6,000 gallons, and was reportedly carrying 4,200 gallons of fuel at the time of grounding. The vessel was refloated at 1600 Wednesday, June 16^th and no additional oil was observed leaking from the vessel.

5) Valdez Vapor Recovery System – Alyeska, Coast Guard, Joint Pipeline Office, and the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council are currently engaged in a comprehensive vapor control system management review process, where five major elements of the system (management controls, training, hardware, procedures and operating controls) will be scrutinized. This review process is the forth step in Alyeska's Terminal Vapor Control system integrity plan and will take several months to complete. The results of the review will ultimately yield specific plans and recommendations, which will optimize system reliability and associated maintenance tactics with respect to operational requirements.

6) At approximately 1430 Saturday, June12, 1999 the cruise vessel Wilderness Adventurer grounded at Dundas Bay in Glacier Bay National Park. The Wilderness Adventurer is owned and operated by Glacier Bay Tours and is a 156-foot "pocket cruiser" with a maximum fuel capacity of 6,000 gallons, and was reportedly carrying 4,200 gallons of fuel at the time of grounding. All 56 passengers and 24 crew were safety evacuated to the M/V Auk Nu and taken to Gustavus, approximately 35 miles away. The vessel was refloated at 1600 Wednesday, June 16^th and no additional oil was observed leaking from the vessel.

7) Other minor cases are described in the ARRT minutes from the February 16^th, the June 10^th, 1999 ARRT meetings and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s (ADEC) web site: www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/ENV.CONSERV/dspar/perp/respnew.htm. (ARRT minutes are posted on the ARRT’s Web Site: www.akrrt.org, NOAA 1^st Class Email or contact LCDR Larry Musarra at: (907) 463-2211 or lmusarra@cgalaska.uscg.mil for copies of ARRT minutes.)

1) Industry Led Area Exercise, Nikiski, AK - On April 7-8, 1999 Tesoro conducted an Industry Led Area Exercise in Cook Inlet. The scenario was a tanker vessel that lost power and started leaking oil after colliding with a dock. Participants included the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Cook Inlet Spill Prevention and Response Inc., Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Committee, and MORMAC Maritime Inc. Day one of the exercise was a Spill Management Team Table Top. Day two was a continuation of the table top exercise and on water deployment of response equipment.

2) Prince William Sound Tanker Drill, Valdez, AK – The ARCO sponsored PWS tanker PREP drill on June 15-16 was held in the Valdez Emergency Operations Center (VEOC). The drill format was a continuation of the SONS drill, emphasizing the later stages (week 3) of the scenario. This format allowed the focus to be on shore-line clean-up and assessment as well as the use of the Multi-Agency Coordination System (MACS). This was the first drill incorporating the MACS into the ICS structure.

3) Hazmat Exercise, Whittier, AK - On May 7, 1999, the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office Anchorage, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), and Alaska Railroad (ARR) held a hazardous material tabletop exercise in Whittier, AK. The following objectives were accomplished during the exercise: 1) demonstrated response capabilities and limitations of the City of Whittier, ARR, and Anchorage Fire Department - Hazmat Response Team, who would all play an active role in the initial response to a hazmat incident. 2) Exercised the Memorandum of Understanding between the ADEC and the Anchorage FD Hazmat Response Team. 3) Exercised Integrated Command System (ICS) that would be implemented during an actual hazmat incident 4) Tested communications system and notification procedures of: USCG, ADEC, Whittier PD, Whittier FD, Anchorage FD Hazmat Response Team, and Crowley Maritime. 5) Allowed the USCG and Federal Railroad Administration to work closely together during the exercise and demonstrate the effectiveness of the Secretary of Transportation's One DOT initiative.

C. ARRT MEETINGS: Two ARRT meetings were held during this period: February 16^th, 1999 in Juneau, AK and June 10, 1999 in Cordova, AK.

D. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE: The Science and Technology Committee met on May 3rd. Their focus was on the December 1998 revised draft of the in-situ burning guidelines, and the remaining issues requiring resolution prior to their adoption by the ARRT. The December 1998 version has already been approved and adopted for use by ADEC and USEPA. In response to concerns raised by the DOI representative regarding the wording, organization and intent of the document, the group agreed to go through the text of the December 1998 Guidelines line by line. Several changes were discussed, and sections of the document were tasked out to individual workgroup members to revise based on these discussions and circulate to all of the workgroup members for review. Not all of the draft revised sections have been received to date. The committee agreed to meet again upon receipt of the remaining sections to discuss the proposed changes and attempt to move forward on a final consensus version of the guidelines that can be submitted to the ARRT for approval.

E. WILDLIFE PROTECTION WORKING GROUP (WPWG): Contact information contained in the Wildlife Protection Guidelines: Pribilof Islands (Pribilof Guidelines) was updated and distributed to Pribilof Islands Subgroup members and Pribilof Island Wildlife Protection Working Group members. In addition, the revisions were incorporated into the Pribilof Guidelines contained on the Alaska RRT Web Page.

The WPWG chairperson has been working with the U.S. Coast Guard District 17 and State and Federal wildlife resource agency representatives on a workshop on trans-boundary wildlife response activities at an upcoming CAN/US DIX exercise and for possible inclusion in the CAN/US NORTH and CAN/US DIX plans. Workshop participants would discuss considerations for conducting capture, stabilization, and treatment activities for migratory birds, marine mammals, and terrestrial mammals in a spill that affects wildlife in countries.

F. CULTURAL RESOURCES WORKING GROUP (CRWG): The CRWG met on February 25, 1999. The meeting focused primarily on a preliminary draft of an Alaska implementation document for the Programmatic Agreement on Protection of Historic Properties during Emergency Response under the National Contingency Plan. Draft Historic Properties Specialist criteria were prepared and circulated among CRWG members and Federal On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) for review and comment. The CRWG Chairperson assisted in the presentation of a paper at the 1999 International Oil Spill Conference, which was co-authored by the CRWG Chairperson and the Alternate DOI NRT Representative and was entitled "Development and Implementation of Guidelines for Federal On-Scene Coordinators for Protecting Historic Properties". The CRWG Chairperson continued to provide Federal OSCs with assistance in identifying spills that trigger the Programmatic Agreement, including the recent Goodnews Bay diesel spill. The USCG Federal OSC hired a contract archeologist to serve as the Historic Properties Specialist for the Goodnews Bay spill. The Historic Properties Specialist provided on-site recommendations and technical assistance to help ensure that historic properties were not injured by response-related activities.

A. STATE LIAISON: See paragraph C, "FEDERAL/STATE UNIFIED PLAN AND SUBAREA PLANS" below.

B. TRAINING: Training during this period included participation in industry-sponsored exercises and NIIMS Level 300 ISC training held in Anchorage and Juneau.

1) Unified Plan: The draft Change 2 to the Unified Plan underwent the public review process from January 15, 1999 through March 15, 1999. Public meetings were held in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks. Additionally, the draft change was also posted on the ARRT website for public review and input. A total of 15 public, private, and industry organizations provided comments to the draft. Following the closure of the public comment period, representatives from the Coast Guard, EPA, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation met to discuss and determine the appropriate action for the comments received. At the June 10^th ARRT meeting in Cordova, in a roll call vote, all except two ARRT members present concurred with proceeding with the finalization and publication of Change 2. The USDA abstained because the final revisions were not available for USFS review. In addition, the Department of the Interior withheld concurrence on selected portions of Change 2 that affect areas under DOI jurisdiction pending DOI having the opportunity to review the final revisions that will be made, and if necessary, meeting with the ARRT Co-Chairs to discuss any further revisions that would be required for DOI to approve Change 2 without conditions.

a. Southeast SCP: No change in status. MSO Juneau is compiling inputs for consideration as Change 1 to the plan.

b. Prince William Sound SCP: The draft Change 1 to the plan was submitted for public comment and review during the period March 15, 1999 through May 15, 1999. The draft change was also posted on the ARRT website for public access and comment. The draft Copper River Delta and Flats addendum comprised a significant portion of the draft Change 1. Public meetings were held in Cordova, Valdez, and Anchorage. A total of seven public, private, and industry entities submitted comments to the draft. The co-chairs (EPA, USCG, and ADEC) met to discuss the appropriate action for all of the comments, and the ARRT concurred with the recommendation to proceed with publication of Change 1. The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) concurrence was given with the understanding that the final Change 1 would include information stating that because the process for developing the specific geographic response strategies contained in the Copper River Delta and Flats Plan did not include DOI, which has trustee responsibility for natural resources located in this area, DOI does not endorse the use of these strategies to respond to oil spills or hazardous substance releases in the Copper River Delta and Flats area.

c. Cook Inlet SCP: The Subarea Committee’s Operations and Logistics Groups held several meetings with the prime focus on identifying emergency mooring locations in Cook Inlet. Plans are to hold several public meetings, e.g. in Homer and Seldovia, to explain the thought process and parameters used to identify the preferred emergency mooring locations.

d. Kodiak SCP: The Kodiak SCP was published in July 1998. Additional geographic response strategies are being developed for specific locations within the subarea.

e. North Slope SCP: The North Slope Subarea Committee and Work Groups are near completion of the public review draft of the plan. A planning workshop is scheduled for July 13^th in Barrow to brief the North Slope Borough and local community representatives on the status of the plan and to seek local inputs for further refining the document. Following the workshop, the plan will undergo the public review process, with an anticipated publication date of late fall of this year.

f. Interior SCP: An initial draft of the Interior Subarea plan has been completed.

g. Aleutian SCP: The draft plan underwent the public review process from March 22-May 31, 1999. Public meetings were held at several communities within the subarea. The anticipated publication date of the Aleutians SCP is late summer of this year.

a. Joint Kodiak Training: During the week of 30 March 1999, a field training session was held in Kodiak, AK. Training consisted of 1^st Responder Training classroom instruction and field instruction on the deployment of USCG Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) utilizing inflatable barge and the fast sweep reel boom and foam-filled ocean boom. Coast Guard Seventeenth District DRAT, CG Pacific Strike Team, two USCG WLB (CGC FIREBUSH and CGC IRONWOOD), Air Station Kodiak, Integrated Support Command (ISC) Kodiak, MSO Anchorage/MSD Kodiak, MSO Valdez, MSO Juneau, CG MLCPAC IH Detachment Kodiak, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), CHADUX Inc., U. S. Navy Supervisor of Salvage (NAVSUPSALV), harbormasters, and cleanup contractors participated in the training.

b. Joint Homer Training: During the week of 26 April 1999, a field training session was held in Homer, AK. Training consisted of 1^st Responder Training, HAZWOPER training, and field instruction on the deployment of USCG VOSS and U. S. Navy response equipment. Coast Guard Seventeenth District DRAT, CG Pacific Strike Team, one USCG WLB (CGC SEDGE), MSO Anchorage/MSD Kenai, MSO Valdez, MSO Juneau, CG MLCPAC IH Detachment Kodiak, ADEC, CHADUX Inc., CISPRI, NAVSUPSALV, harbormasters, and cleanup contractors participated in the training.

A. Captain Dennis Egan, the ARRT Co-Chair for the USCG was transferred to Washington D.C. on June 24, 1999. Commander Ross Tuxhorn, alternate Co-Chair for the USCG, retired on 30 April 1999. Captain Ed Page will be the ARRT Co-Chair for the USCG commencing mid-July 1999 and Commander Jean Bulter will be the Alternate ARRT Co-Chair for the USCG.

1) SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE: The Science and Technology (S&T) Committee plans to go forward with completing the revisions to the ISB Guidelines, and will seek pre-approval on the areas they agreed upon. After the revised sections come back, they plan to send the completed, revised document out for review.

2) WILDLIFE PROTECTION WORKING GROUP: The WPWG Chairperson will continue working with USCG District 17, State and Federal wildlife resource agencies representatives to (1) identify appropriate Canadian representatives who would be invited to participate in a wildlife response activities workshop, which will be held as part of the upcoming CAN/US DIX exercise, and (2) to outline and refine specific topics to be addressed. In addition, contact information in the Wildlife Protection Guidelines: Pribilof Islands will be updated and distributed

3) CULTURAL RESOURCES WORKING GROUP: The next CRWG meeting is scheduled for July 29, 1999. The meeting will focus on reaching consensus on "Historic Properties Specialists" criteria, which could be used by Federal OSC’s to identify Historic Properties Specialists prior to an oil spill or hazardous substance release.