JUNEAU, Alaska – Coast Guard Sector Juneau will host an oil spill response exercise, April 3-4, 2019, on the water in Hawk Inlet and at the University of Alaska Southeast Student Recreation Center.

The exercise is made up with representatives from the Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Oldendorff Carriers, Hecla Greens Creek Mine and Southeast Alaska Petroleum Response Organization. Participants will respond to a fictional pollution event stemming from a vessel collision near Hawk Inlet on Admiralty Island.

The exercise is part of the Coast Guard’s Preparedness for Response Exercise Program. It was created by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, as part of the sweeping pollution prevention and response legislation created following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

“This exercise will allow us to practice for a potential pollution event within Southeast Alaska waters and improve upon our response strategies,” said Kathy Hamblett, senior exercise controller for Coast Guard Sector Juneau. “The timing of this exercise, only two weeks after the 30th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez spill, provides excellent perspective for the importance of preparedness.”

On the first day of the exercise, involved organizations will collaborate to execute a field deployment of spill response equipment around the simulated incident scene. The second day will consist of assembling an incident management team utilizing the Incident Command System and developing an incident action plan to direct response activities.

Featured image: Coast Guard personnel conduct oil spill response training near Homer. Image-USCG

Source: USCG

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