In the Field
Loading tankers at the Valdez Marine Terminal

On August 1, 1977, the tanker Arco Juneau departed Valdez with the state's first Alaska North Slope crude oil headed to market. It marked a momentous occasion for Alaska and the nation. More than 19,000 tankers have since been loaded from the Valdez Marine Terminal. In total, more than 15 billion barrels of oil have passed through the trans-Alaska pipeline, adding billions of dollars to the state’s economy and creating jobs for generations of Alaskans. While much has changed on the Trans Alaska Pipeline System due to advancements in technology and increased regulatory oversight, the process of loading the tankers has remained consistent.

After the oil has made its way down the 800-mile-long pipeline, incoming crude oil is metered and sent to one of 14 storage tanks. Before oil is transferred to a tanker, crews first place an oil spill containment boom around the tanker and entire berth. Ballast water carried by incoming tankers is removed and loading of crude oil begins. The terminal uses a gravity-based system to transfer the oil from the storage tanks onto the tankers. The entire transfer process from docking to departure of the tanker takes about 24 hours.

Tammy Holmes, a berth operator at the Valdez Marine Terminal, said the berth operators take great pride in their ability to smoothly move the tankers in and out of port.

“The tankers tell us all the time that they love coming to this terminal because it’s organized, it’s clean, it’s efficient. It just works,” said Holmes. “We have a really good system here. Everyone works together to make it as smooth as possible for the ships that come in – they’re our customers.”

Learn more about the process of safely loading the massive tankers that dock at the Valdez Marine Terminal by watching a video featuring Holmes.