Coast Guard, SeaRiver plan Prince William Sound spill exercise

The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard:
 
(VALDEZ, Alaska) — Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez is joining SeaRiver Maritime in conducting the 2010 Prince William Sound area exercise, June 8-10, as part of ongoing efforts to ensure oil spill response crews and organizations are prepared for an oil pollution incident in Prince William Sound.
 
SeaRiver Maritime, the shipping arm of ExxonMobil, is hosting the area exercise as part of their readiness requirements for operating oil tankers in Prince William Sound. The exercise begins with a simulated tanker spill event, sparking off an incident action response where industry, Federal, State and local agencies come together in a unified response effort.
“These type of response events are essential for the continued safety of Prince William Sound,†said Lt. Erin Christensen of Marine Safety Unit Valdez. “Coming together in a joint exercise gives us the opportunity to keep relationships strong and to better understand what capabilities our partner organizations can bring in the case of an actual incident.â€
The exercise will conclude with a post-exercise debrief where contributing partners will discuss how the response went and identify needed improvements.
By Professional Mariner Staff