NEWS & UPDATES
May 18, 2022 - U.S. Maritime Day – A Brief History
Each year on May 22, the United States celebrates U.S. Maritime Day. It was officially recognized by Congress in 1933 to commemorate the American steamship Savannah, and the start of her voyage from Savannah, Georgia, to Liverpool, England. That transatlantic voyage was the first-ever by a steamship, and a similar crossing wouldn’t be attempted…
05/11/2022 - ACN Provides Tug Grounding Support in Southeast Alaska
In late March, Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) provided assistance to SEAPRO (Southeast Alaska Petroleum Response Organization) with the grounding of the tug Western Mariner in Neva Straits near Sitka, Alaska. The tug had approximately 45,000 gallons of diesel fuel onboard when it ran aground and an unknown amount was discharged. ACN assisted with boom deployment, recovery of the spilled product, and setting up beach deluge systems to wash out the fuel that was embedded in the beaches.
05/11/2022 - ACN Releases Updated Nontank Vessel APC Operating Procedures
Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) has released updated Nontank Vessel Alternative Planning Criteria (APC) Operating Procedures. These Operating Procedures include updated deviation protocols, entry requirements, and updated email addresses. As per APC requirements, each participating vessel shall have a copy of the U.S. Coast Guard APC approval letter and relevant APC Operating Procedures onboard prior to transiting and/or operating in Alaska waters where this APC applies.The updated Nontank Vessel Operating Procedures can be downloaded here.
05/11/2022 - ACN Provides HAZWOPER & First Aid Training in Dutch Harbor
HAZWOPER & First Aid Training – Dutch Harbor In January 2022, our team provided HAZWOPER and first aid training to individuals from the city of Dutch Harbor, local marine industry companies, and crews enrolled in our Vessel of Opportunity program. The training provided enables the participants to safely act as a responder during an oil spill incident, increasing the Alaska Chadux̂ Network’s capacity to quickly respond to an oil spill in the Aleutian Islands.
05/11/2022 - ACN Participates in Arctic Encounter Symposium
Earlier this month, ACN President & CEO Buddy Custard attended and presented at the Arctic Encounter Symposium (AES) in Anchorage, Alaska. AES is the largest nonprofit Arctic policy forum in North America, and representatives from the international shipping, fishing, and tourism industries as well as diplomats and other subject matter experts from across the globe convened for a wide-ranging conversation on issues facing the Arctic today. The conference had been on hiatus due to the pandemic, but the in-person event returned this year, and Buddy was able to meet with key industry leaders and influencers during the two-day event. He also provided a unique perspective on a panel discussion titled “Alaska LNG Opportunities”, discussing some of the issues of shipping LNG in Alaska waters.
05/11/2022 - Vessel of Opportunity Training
On April 11, 2022, Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) provided training for Vessel of Opportunity (VOO) participants from Seward and Whittier at the ACN training facility and warehouse in Anchorage. A full day of classroom and hands-on training provided vessel crews with the knowledge and skills to be able to assist ACN during an oil spill response. ACN has 50 active vessels enrolled in our VOO program that we intend to expand in 2022. Upcoming on-water VOO exercises are planned for Kodiak and Nome.
05/11/2022 - FOSC-R Training
The Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) participated in the Federal On Scene Coordinator Representative (FOSC-R) academy being held by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Anchorage in March. The academy was designed to bring federal On Scene Coordinators (OSCs), state OSCs, resource agencies, and Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSROs) together to discuss response topics and provide training to OSCs. ACN gave a presentation on its capabilities and offered an OSRO perspective to the OSCs. Participants included U.S. Coast Guard personnel from Alaska, as well as around the United States, Alaska State personnel from Alaska Departments of Fish & Game (ADF&G), Environmental Conservation (ADEC), and Natural Resources (ADNR), federal agency personnel from U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USF&W), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and representatives from all the major OSROs in Alaska.
05/11/2022 - Oil on Ice Training with Navy SupSalv
In February, Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) operations team participated in the annual Oil in Ice exercise put on by the Navy Supervisor of Salvage group (NavSupSalv) on Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. The exercise allowed personnel to practice tactics for recovering oil under the ice. Participants this year were NavSupSalv from California, Hawaii, Virginia, and Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard from Sector Anchorage, Juneau, Valdez, and the Pacific Strike Team, and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation personnel from Anchorage and Fairbanks. In addition to participating in the training, we demonstrated our innovative snow melting system.
05/11/2022 - ComFish Alaska
Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) hosted a booth at ComFish Alaska, in Kodiak on March 24-26 to meet with the many fishing vessel owners and operators we support. ComFish Alaska is Alaska’s Premier Commercial Fisheries Trade Show, as well as the largest and longest-running in Alaska. ACN was one of over 40 exhibitors who participated and engaged with commercial fishing vessel operators, industry partners, State and Federal agencies, subscribers, and local stakeholders.
05/11/2022 - Prince William Sound Offshore Tank Vessel APC Approved
On April 11, 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard accepted Alaska Chadux̂ Network’s (ACN) Alternative Planning Criteria (APC) for Tank Vessels transiting the Prince William Sound Captain of the Port Zone in the offshore operating environment, between 50 and 200 nautical miles that are not part of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. This expansion of tank vessel APC coverage area is a testament to ACN’s proven experience and dedication to expanding oil spill prevention and response readiness in Alaska. ACN remains the only oil spill removal organization (OSRO) approved by the U.S. Coast Guard to provide comprehensive APC coverage for tank vessels throughout the Western Alaska Captain of the Port Zone (outside of Cook Inlet) and Prince William Sound Captain of the Port Zone (50-200nm). This capability provides the greatest flexibility for our tank vessel subscribers as they sail off Alaska. Our APC authorization letter and Operating Procedures can be downloaded here.
05/11/2022 - ACN Supports Crude Oil Spill Response – Lima, Peru
The Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) team provided oil spill response consulting support to ETI (Environmental Technologies Inc.) during the Repsol Refinery crude oil spill in Lima, Peru that occurred on January 15, 2022. It is estimated over 11,000 barrels of crude oil was spilled in the coastal environment in the vicinity of Lima, Peru. Two members from the ACN operations team flew to Lima to team up with the ETI and Pacific Petroleum Recovery (PPR) Alaska crews. The ACN team conducted consulting and training on spill management and crude oil clean-up tactics, assisted with site surveys of contaminated beaches, and coordinated sampling of suspected contaminated areas and submerged oil. This was a great opportunity to share our oil spill response knowledge with our colleagues in South America and to learn from them during this large response.