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Oil Spill Drills
Oil spill drills have not always been the active prevention tool that they are today in Cook Inlet. In the years following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, regulators were clarifying expectations and the response organizations were developing their own internal protocols. Cook Inlet RCAC has as its goals to evaluate adequacy of Unified, subarea and industry Contingency plans; to identify all areas needing improvements; to drill all areas of the contingency plan improving ability to be ready for a real incident; to work with industry and agencies to assure that lessons learned and items needing improvements are exercised. To accomplish these goals, Cook Inlet RCAC board and committee members, particularly those on the Protocol Committee responsible for reviewing C-Plans, are familiar with Unified, subarea, and industry plans.
Cook Inlet RCAC staff also participates in industry and agency led drills and works cooperatively with agencies and industry to identify and implement areas needing improvement.
Background
The first spill drill was to be performed in Anchorage by Tesoro, the purpose of which was to demonstrate the ability for a laden tanker to drop anchor to reduce and eventually stop movement by using her anchor as a braking system. As pressure to hold the drill diminished, discussions turned toward the scenario that would be used in the drill.
In September of 1991, the U.S. Coast Guard called a drill on Arco. The scenario was an earthquake which ruptured a line between a platform and the Trading Bay facility releasing 100-200 barrels into the Inlet. Cook Inlet RCAC observers at the drill deemed the booming and mechanical clean up effective from their perspective and participated in a workgroup tasked with compiling all information from spill drills and reporting back to the PROPS committee. The next month, Marathon Oil conducted a spill drill in Anchorage and again Cook Inlet RCAC observers attended and later compiled information for use on the PROPS Committee.
In 1992, Alyeska and Chevron conducted a joint operation in Prince William Sound. At this drill Cook Inlet RCAC observers were impressed with the interaction between PWSRCAC and the Unified Command. Both Cook Inlet RCAC and PWSRCAC spent the next few drills sussing out the role that they would play in training exercises. Observers continued to note opportunities for improvement in aspects like boom deployment and communication between response vessels. CISPRI incorporated some of Cook Inlet RCAC`s suggestions regarding the Incident Command (ICS).
Over the next few years, the exercise schedule increased and Cook Inlet RCAC attended drills for Alyeska, Tesoro, Phillips, Shell and others. Cook Inlet RCAC`s role continues to evolve but remains aimed at improving ICS and the interaction with various stakeholder groups and affected citizens.