ANCHORAGE, AK –  May 22, 2000 –  At 6:40 a.m. today, the crew of an Alyeska SERVS escort vessel detected a light sheen near Berth 4 while escorting the oil tanker SeaRiver Long Beach away from the Valdez Marine Terminal. The U.S. Coast Guard directed the tanker to return to berth at the terminal, where boom was placed around it.

The initial sheen was 300 feet long and 30 feet wide. The volume, the content and the source of the sheen are not known at this time. A sample of the substance will be sent out for testing and Alyeska is reviewing all terminal operations to determine all possible sources of the sheen.

Four SERVS skimmers have responded and are cleaning up the light sheen. The Alaska

Department of Environmental Conservation and the Regional Citizens Advisory Council have been notified.

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