PWS exercise simulates tanker accident

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Safety Unit Valdez has joined with SeaRiver Maritime, the shipping arm of ExxonMobil, to conduct the 2010 Prince William Sound spill response exercise. Held June 8-10 and hosted by SeaRiver, the exercise simulated an oil spill from a tanker, with the oil industry, federal, state and local agencies coming together in a unified response effort.

The exercise, designed to ensure that oil spill response crews and organization are prepared for an oil spill incident in Prince William Sound, concluded with a post-exercise debrief where participants discussed how the exercise went and identified any needed improvements to spill response arrangements and plans.

“These types of response events are essential for the continued safety of Prince William Sound,” said Lt. Erin Christensen of Marine Safety Unit Valdez. “Coming together in a joint exercise gives us the opportunity to keep relationships strong and to better understand what capabilities our partner organizations can bring in the case of an actual incident.”

—Alan Bailey