Prince William Sound spill barges lack capacity

The Associated Press

Five oil-spill response barges stationed in Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill have less capacity than originally specified.

Tanker operators for oil companies BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and others disclosed in a “notice of nonreadiness” to the state March 29 that barges can hold about 68,700 barrels or nearly 2.9 million gallons less than previously thought. The barges would play a critical role in the event of a large spill, serving as holding tanks for oil and oily water.

The new information trims the holding capacity of the five barges by 10 to 15 percent, said Betty Schorr, industry preparedness program manager for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

DEC and state lawyers are reviewing the barge capacity shortfall, and might cite the tanker operators April 2 with a notice of violation. A civil fine could follow.

“If they’re found out of compliance,” Schorr said.

Tanker operators said a consultant discovered the capacity shortfall while reviewing the performance of oil-skimming and other equipment on the barges.

At least part of capacity error came from not accounting for the weight of spill cleanup equipment on the decks of the barges, Schorr said.

The tanker companies did the right thing and notified DEC officials, said Anil Mathur, president of Alaska Tanker Co., a Beaverton, Ore., company that hauls North Slope crude for BP. Despite the lower barge capacity, Mathur said tanker operators don’t believe they’ve violated state law on oil spill response preparedness.

“No change in equipment has occurred,” Alaska Tanker Co. manager Capt. Tom Colby wrote in the March 29 letter to DEC. “Rather, in the course of efforts to improve our barge system, we unexpectedly discovered that an assumption with respect to barge storage capacity was inaccurate. Out of an abundance of caution we disclosed this information to the department.”

Discovery of the capacity error has not halted or slowed down oil shipments out of the Sound, DEC and oil company spokesmen said March 30.

The tanker companies also have voluntarily put extra precautions in place until the barge matter is settled, Schorr said.

Barges have been repositioned or put on standby in the Sound and in Cook Inlet; tug escorts for loaded tankers have been increased; and a one-way traffic zone for tankers moving through Valdez Narrows has been extended.