President's Message
Kevin Hostler, President and CEO

Protecting the Waters of Prince William Sound

March 24th marked the 20th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. I believe all of us remember where we were when we heard the terrible news that the tanker had grounded and oil was spilling into Prince William Sound. The lessons from that spill have been incorporated in everything we do to prevent a future occurrence. Today, Alyeska Pipeline runs one of the premier offshore oil spill prevention and response forces in the world. Our SERVS (Ship Escort/Response Vessels System) organization is established to prevent and if necessary respond to a future spill. Protecting the waters of Prince William Sound is much more than the lists of equipment and the numbers of people we have trained. Oil spill prevention and response is an attitude and feeling. It is at the start and end of every conversation we have when we discuss how to safely move tankers through the Sound.

We have also spent these past 20 years creating partnerships with many organizations to improve prevention and response measures in the Sound. All have the same unified goal: safe oil transportation through Prince William Sound. Alyeska partners with communities and individuals to prevent spills and other hazards. It is because of these forged partnerships and the local knowledge of the people who live and work in the Sound communities that Alyeska is recognized as a leader in oil spill prevention and response. Operators around the globe look to our Ship Escort/Response Vessel System as a model to emulate.

Many around the state paused and reflected on that day and the hard lessons learned from the event. I also remembered all of the people who have helped improve the oil transportation system in the Sound since 1989.