Safety fears restore restrictions on Alaska port traffic

Press, 5 April 1989, Page 10

Safety fears restore restrictions on Alaska port traffic

NZPA-Reuter Valdez The Coast Guard briefly lifted restrictions on tanker traffic in Alaska’s Port of Valdez on Monday, then reimposed them over environmental safety concern following the worst oil spill in United States history. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company also said it raised the oil flow through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline to 1.7 million barrels per day (b.p.d.) from 800,000 b.p.d. since the tanker Exxon Valdez hit a reef on March 24, spilling 240,000 barrels of oil. The Coast Guard, which closed the port after the spill and later allowed daylight traffic, announced early on Monday it would allow 24-hour tanker traffic, but then reversed its decision at the request of Alaskan state officials. A Coast Guard spokesman, Rick Meidt, said the daylight restriction was reimposed after state authorities expressed concern there not was enough pollution control gear in port. Most spill equipment is being used to contain oil in Prince William Sound, which until the spill had been one of the nation’s richest fisheries, abounding with marine life. The oil has spread beyond a 2600 sq km area. Exxon said a fly-ovef revealed

it had spread to within five to 10 nautical miles of the shore at Resurrection Bay. An Alyeska spokesman said the flow of the 1300 km pipeline was raised to 1.3 million b.p.d. on Sunday because of the 24-hour traffic order, and it was raised to 1.7 million b.p.d. after the fresh grestrictions. As the oil spill spreads into new areas of Prince William Sound, it threatens increasing numbers of the area’s estimated 7000 sea otters. While spills often kill birds, researchers say this is the first major oil spill to occur in a prime sea otter habitat. “We really don’t know the full effect,” said Randall Davis, a biologist co-ordi-nating the otter rescue. “They are going to suffer both from hypothermia and possibly from secondary effects due to the ingestion of oil ” said Mr Davis. “I will be very happy if we have a 60 per cent recovery.” A third of the 33 otters treated by Monday had died, he said. Dozens more had died before rescuers could find them on the beaches. The treatment centre stopped accepting new otters on Tuesday after it reached capacity. The centre is being expanded to handle up to 60 otters, but officials still expect to be overfun in the weeks ahead