State of Alaska Compliance
Compliance
Alaska, like many US states, has its own regimen of oil spill response requirements. Depending on your operations (e.g., tank vessel, oil barge, Nontank vessel, oil terminal, or other operation), your company is required to be in compliance with Alaska’s oil spill regulations to operate in Alaska waters or operate shoreside operations. More details on Alaska’s oil spill requirements can be found at Do I Need an Oil Discharge and Contingency Plan?
ACN is a Primary Response Action Contractor (PRAC) registered with the State of Alaska. On enrollment, ACN will meet your state compliance needs and confirm it is obligated under a contractual relationship with your company to provide personnel and/or equipment to contain, control, or clean up oil spills to comply with response planning standards. ACN will also provide a Statement of Contractual Terms to meet your plan requirements in addition to supporting exercises and drills as requested.
ACN is also registered with the State of Alaska as a Streamlined Plan Cleanup Contractor to provide compliance services to Nontank vessels and Noncrude Oil Tank Vessels & Barges that require State of Alaska oil spill response coverage. Added in 2021 is the Class D Cleanup Contractor classification, for Non-Crude Tank Vessels less than 500-bbl capacity.
Many Nontank vessel and noncrude oil tank vessel and barge operators elect to use the Streamlined Plan Cleanup Contractor option for their Alaska compliance. To use this option, the vessel operator uses a Response Plan Facilitator (RPF’s) to process their Streamline Oil Spill Contingency Plan. ACN regularly works with RPF’s to provide oil spill response coverage to many vessel operators.
Most of ACN members fall into one of the main operations requiring Alaska oil spill contingency plans. It is not uncommon for ACN to provide an operator with both State of Alaska and Federal oil spill compliance with a single enrollment application.
Definitions
These definitions are for common operations requiring Alaska oil spill response resources. If you meet one of these definitions, you are required to have an approved State of Alaska oil spill contingency plan.
“Tank Vessel” means a self-propelled waterborne vessel that is constructed or converted to carry liquid bulk cargo in tanks and includes tankers, tankships, and combination carriers when carrying oil. In some instances, a Nontank vessel that carries oil as cargo and delivers to a shoreside or other facility can be deemed a “tank vessel” for Alaska compliance purposes.
“Oil Barge” means a vessel which is not self-propelled, and which is constructed or converted to carry oil as cargo in bulk.
“Nontank Vessel” means a self-propelled watercraft of more than 400 gross registered tons. Nontank vessels include commercial fishing vessels, tugs, commercial fish processor vessels, passenger vessels, and cargo vessels among others, but does not include a tank vessel, oil barge, or public vessel.
“Oil Terminal Facility” means an onshore or offshore facility of any kind, that is used for the purpose of transferring, processing, refining, or storing crude or refined oil.
More information on how you can comply with the State of Alaska oil spill response plan requirements can be found at ADEC Prevention Preparedness and Response.