New spill response technology for TAPS

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company conducts some 70 pipeline spill response exercises every year to train responders, field-test equipment and improve response techniques.

The company recently added a new piece of equipment called BoomVane™ to its response toolkit. It is designed to contain spills and facilitate skimming in rivers and other fast-moving waterways. BoomVane™ has a big advantage over conventional boom systems because it has a sturdy, light frame that can quickly and simply deploy without using boats or heavy anchor systems.

Conventional boom equipment requires solid ties and anchors and must be towed into place by a vessel. BoomVane™ can be secured with a single mooring line and uses the current to deploy and hold its position.

Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) responders have worked with BoomVane™ during several recent spill drills. Alyeska currently considers it a demonstration product because responders are still learning to use it properly, but the company has 21 BoomVane™ systems on order or already in inventory for use on or along the pipeline. Alyeska's Ship Escort Response Vessel System (SERVS) is purchasing additional BoomVanes™ for use around the Prince William Sound area.

The system is suitable for use in rivers with heavy boat traffic because its control line can be retracted midstream to allow vessel passage. BoomVane™ is designed for quick and easy deployment, which is very important to Alyeska because TAPS crosses more than 500 rivers and streams. The system's quick and easy deployment is a measure of its worth in terms of timely response.

BoomVanes™ have been used by Alyeska on pipeline exercises for several years and have improved the effectiveness and response times to critical habitat areas. The proposed Rapid BoomVane™ Deployment System (created by Alyeska) operates from a predetermined location and is mounted on a quick-deploy davit crane that can set up a containment and recovery site within minutes of deployment.