ANCHORAGE, AK -- January 10, 1997 -- Alyeska Pipeline Service Company reported that a sheen has been discovered on the water at the Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) at 9:55 a.m. today. The source of the sheen is unknown at this time.

Alyeska's Ship Escort Response Vessel System (SERVS) crews began skimming thirty-minutes after the discovery was made and skimming operations will continue throughout the day. Two skimmers, eight workboats, two Emergency Response Vessels (ERVs) and eight fishing vessels are currently deployed for cleanup and containment operations. Containment boom has been deployed to collect the material. Additional boom has been placed around the Valdez duck flats as a precaution. The sheen appears stationary with little or no wind in Port Valdez. Alyeska has established an Incident Command System to address this situation. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Coast Guard are participating in the response.

Tanker loading operations have been temporarily suspended. Currently, the Overseas Ohio, ARCO Fairbanks, and the ARCO Spirit are docked at the VMT.

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