USCG Commends SERVS Escort Vessels for
Professional Response
On Friday, July 13, 2001 Commander Peyton Coleman,
Commanding Officer of the Marine Safety Office in Valdez, presented commendations to the
Captain and crew of the AWARE and GUARD for the “superb professionalism” they
displayed while escorting the CHEVRON MISSISSIPPI.
On July 10, 2001, the CHEVRON MISSISSIPPI had just passed
Entrance Island at the head of the Valdez Narrows when it came upon the fishing vessel
ORION setting its seine net across the tanker’s traffic lane. When the fishing vessel
failed to respond to repeated radio contacts, the Pilot, tanker’s bridge team and
Alyeska’s escort vessels went into action. The Pilot called for Alyeska SERVS’
tethered escort tug AWARE to “pull back at 80 tons” and directed the second
escort tug GUARD to the bow to act as a buffer and steady up the ship’s heading if
needed. The tug crews quick and professional reaction brought the outbound laden tanker
CHEVRON MISSISSIPPI to a complete stop within two ship lengths. The tugs held the
tanker’s position safely until the fishing vessel cleared its gear from the
tanker’s path allowing it to resume its transit out of Prince William Sound.
In the letters of commendation, Commander Coleman stated,
“You have an extraordinarily capable ship, but any ship is only as good as the
professionals who operate her. Without your heroic response, this incident would have had
a very different and possibly catastrophic outcome. You should take pride in knowing you
are part of the best escorting system in the world, bar none.”
Informational broadcasts from the USCG and
“security” broadcasts by the tanker let mariners in the area know that a tanker
is approaching the Valdez Narrows. The fishing vessel ORION was ordered into Valdez by the
Coast Guard Captain of the Port for an evaluation. An investigation by the USCG is still
underway.
Alyeska Sponsors Kids Fishing Derby
Alyeska Pipeline was the major sponsor of “Pathway to
Fishing” and Valdez’s first “Kids Fishing Derby”. On Saturday July 14,
more than 140 kids cast their line in the water hoping to catch the big one.
First, second and third place prizes were presented in 3
age categories. Cody Freitag, age 9, was awarded the Grand Prize for catching the biggest
fish of the day. His pink salmon weighed in at 5.64 Lbs.
The day before the Derby, more than 80 kids took part in
“Pathways to Fishing” a hands on 12-station educational walk-through program
that teaches fishing basics, aquatic ecology, and angler ethics. Parents are encouraged to
accompany their kids through the program and learn with them.
The program was developed as a cooperative effort of the
U.S. fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau
of Reclamation, USDA Forest Service, Berkley, and In-Fisherman.
Prevention and Response Tug (PRT)
ATTENTIVE departs, Tractor Tug NANUQ Returns
The PRT ATTENTIVE, one of three 10,000 horsepower Z-drive
tugs used to escort tankers through Prince William Sound, headed for the Dakota Creek
Shipyard in Anacortes, Washington last week for scheduled drydocking and bow winch
modifications. The 10,000 horsepower tractor tug NANUQ returned to Valdez from Anacortes
last week having undergone drydocking for maintenance on her Voith cycloidal-drive.
Back to top
|