Month: September 2015

Robotic inspection tool redefines Trans-Alaska Pipeline innovation

by

From Alyeska:

A crawler pig like this one reduces cost and risk during pipeline inspections. Photo courtesy of Alyeska Corporate Communications.
A crawler pig like this one reduces cost and risk during pipeline inspections. Photo courtesy of Alyeska Corporate Communications.

This is a tale of perfect timing and imperfect piping, insistent independence and trusted teamwork, hundreds of hurdles and millions in savings, a simple Russian robot and a seismic company culture shift.

This is the story of the Robotic Inline Inspection Tool Team, which received Alyeska’s 2015 Atigun Award for Innovation. The seven team winners, and the dozens of individuals, teams and organizations that supported the effort, were all integral in a game-changing three-year journey that led to the world’s first crawler pig integrity inspection of a liquid pipeline: the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, known as TAPS.

In the summer of 2014, a 200-pound Russian-owned robotic crawler pig inspected around 850 feet of 36 inch buried TAPS piping at Pump Station 3, providing a level of clarity on its system integrity that was previously inaccessible. The success of that inspection resulted in reduced risk and significant cost savings for Alyeska and TAPS. It also inspired similar inspections – as well as similar cost savings and risk reduction – in 2015 and the years ahead.

“There were so many people and teams involved; we all did our jobs, and we did our jobs well,” said Bhaskar Neogi, Alyeska Senior Director of Risk and Compliance. “But this was also about luck, perseverance, stubbornness not to give up, and a willingness not to worry about if we failed.”

Read more

Oral history teaches new generation about Exxon spill

by

By Alicia Zorzetto
Digital Collections Librarian

Students in the annual Copper River Stewardship Program studied the Exxon Valdez oil spill from a different perspective this year. They learned about the spill directly from some of the most affected citizens in the region.

The program, run by Kate Morse, program director for the Copper River Watershed Project, takes youth from the Copper River Basin on a hands-on exploration of their region. During a 10-day trip to various Copper River communities and Prince William Sound they learn about the ecology, culture, economy, and history of the region from individuals representing a wide range of organizations.

Students read stories from “The Spill” to each other during this summer’s Copper River Stewardship Program.
Students read stories from “The Spill” to each other during this summer’s Copper River Stewardship Program.

This year, Morse added a study of the Exxon Valdez disaster through oral history. Morse had the students listen to recordings from the Exxon Valdez Project Jukebox, the partnership between the council and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and read excerpts from “The Spill,” the council’s book. From her volunteer work on the council’s Information and Education Committee Morse was familiar with both projects, which documented and preserved stories from local citizens who experienced the Exxon Valdez spill from a variety of viewpoints.

Each student listened, watched, or read the story of someone sharing their first-hand experiences of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, then designed a flag to represent the person’s story based on their understanding and feelings related to the person’s experiences.

Read more

Board of directors met in Kodiak

by

The council’s board of directors met in Kodiak on Thursday and Friday, September 17 and 18.

Agenda topics included:

  • A presentation by NUKA Research & Planning, LLC on the council’s past efforts to identify the response gap in Prince William Sound and how a response capability analysis could complement that earlier work.
  • A presentation by CDR Joseph Lally, U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez, on managing tanker movements in Prince William Sound and Port Valdez during high weather events.
  • A presentation by Starcrest Consulting Group. LLC on the results of an analysis to quantify tanker ship air pollutants being released in Prince William Sound.
  • Consideration of a board resolution in support of implementing the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Reopener for Unknown Injury.
  • A report on the council’s monitoring of oil-spill response drills and training exercises conducted in Prince William Sound and nearby waters in 2014.
  • A presentation by Kodiak Salmon Camp youth leaders on their involvement in recent activities supported by the Council.

Read more

Skip to content