ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- December 5, 1996-- An involuntary discharge of two cups of North Slope oil has been reported by Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The discharge occurred at 5:39 a.m. aboard the O/S New York. The oil accidentally discharged through a vent designed to divert any gas pressure during loading operations an d may gave been caused by a faulty valve.

Loading aboard the O/S New York was immediately halted. Clean up on the vessel consisted of manually applying absorbent material to the deck and using sorbant pads to clean off any pipe and other nearby affected areas.

The discharge also affected a small on water area within the containment boom around the vessel. Absorbent boom was immediately deployed within the larger containment boom to absorb the resulting small sheen of oil on the water. Large containment booms are systematically deployed to surround vessels prior to loading crude oil at the Valdez Marine Terminal. Normal loading operations to the vessel have been resumed.

The O/S New York is owned by Maritime Overseas and currently under contract to BP Shipping.

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