ANCHORAGE, AK – October 6, 2001 7:00 P.M.

• An Alyeska repair team is expected to complete the repair of the puncture in the trans-Alaska pipeline Sunday morning, October 7.
• Just before 3:00 a.m. today a repair team successfully applied a clamp to the bullet hole in the pipeline, stemming the flow of oil.
• The temporary clamp is being removed to allow for the permanent repair.
• Following completion of the repair work, the operation to refill and restart the pipeline will begin.
• North Slope production remains at 5 percent.
• Normal tanker loading operations will continue at the Valdez Marine Terminal using oil from the storage tanks at the terminal while the line is being repaired.
• The spill volume is estimated at 6,800 barrels.
• As of 4:00 p.m. today, and estimated 1,904 barrels has been recovered.
• An environmental assessment team is conducting on-site evaluations and developing short term and long term mediation plans
• Michele Brown, Commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation and General Phil Oates, Commissioner, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs were briefed and visited the site today.
• There have been no reported injuries to humans or wildlife as a result of the spill.
• The trans-Alaska pipeline was shutdown at about 2:30 p.m. on Thursday after an Alyeska surveillance crew detected oil on the ground in the vicinity of MP 400, approximately 15 miles north of Pump Station 7.
• Alyeska's Operations Control Center immediately began the process of shutting down the north end of the line.
• Alyeska immediately mobilized response crews, heavy machinery and a special land spill strike team to the scene to clean up the oil.
• Pressure inside the pipeline was approximately 525 pounds per square inch at the time of the incident, spraying oil out about 75 feet from the pipeline.
• The following Unified Command has been established to manage this incident: Unified Commander, Bill Howitt, Alyeska Pipeline; Federal On-Scene Commander, Carl Lautenberger, EPA; and, State On-Scene Commander, Ed Meggert, ADEC.
• Current information can be located on the Unified Command Internet site at http://www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/ENV.CONSERV/dspar/perp/
  011004301/p006.htm or this site.