(VALDEZ, Alaska) — Crowley Maritime Corp.’s tanker escort and docking services group in Valdez is celebrating over 7 million man hours and more than six years since logging its last lost time injury (LTI). In addition to this remarkable number, the company announced that it had not had an OSHA recordable case in over 2 million man hours while performing tanker assist and escort work for Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. In 2015, the company logged over 1 million man hours while safely escorting 236 tankers through Prince William Sound, transporting 185 million barrels of oil in one of the harshest environments in the world.
“We’ve partnered with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. for more than 25 years to provide the safest, most comprehensive spill prevention and response services available for tankers traveling through Prince William Sound,” said Rocky Smith, Crowley’s senior vice president and general manager, petroleum distribution and marine services. “This achievement is a testament to the keen focus on safety our professional mariners and Valdez shore side support team displays. They are relentless in their pursuit of zero harm to people, property and the environment.”
In Valdez, Crowley personnel and tugs help protect the environment through a contract with Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.'s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS). As part of this commercial partnership the company provides tug escorts for tankers traveling through Prince William Sound to and from the Valdez Marine Terminal, assuring safe passage, even under the most extreme winter weather conditions. They also provide secure docking and undocking operations at the oil product loading terminals.
In 2015, Crowley continued its support of SERVS by planning and supervising classroom and field training exercises for the spring and fall fishing vessel training program. This training involved over 400 boats and 1,700 attendees, who gained familiarity with the equipment, tactics and resources needed to quickly and professionally respond to an oil spill incident in Prince William Sound. Crowley’s near-shore response barge 500-2 and company-owned tugs visited the communities of Cordova, Whittier, Seward, Homer, Kodiak and Valdez in further support of the training.
Additionally in 2015, Crowley tug Endurance provided transportation and accommodation for the Prince William Sound Traveling Health Fair, a community outreach program supported by Alyeska to inform local communities about oral hygiene, nutrition, physical fitness, depression/suicide awareness and emergency preparedness. The program is driven by numerous dedicated individuals including nine very enthusiastic coordinators and educators who joined Endurance and her crew for the eight-day initiative.
“For Crowley, this was another chance to be a part of something much bigger than just tankers, tugs and barges,” said Endurance’s crew. “For most of the hundreds of Crowley employees on the vessels and ashore in Alaska, this isn’t just where we work, this is our home. Customer representatives, contractors, and shipmates are people we work with, but they are often also neighbors and friends. For our captain and crew, this latest adventure was another inspirational example of why we invest more than just our work ethic when we report to the job, this is also who we are.”
