Operator of two Cook Inlet crude tankers asks the state to renew their spill plan

Fairwater Tankers Alaska has asked the state to renew the oil spill plan for two tankers that carry North Slope crude up Cook Inlet to Nikiski. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation opened public comment Tuesday.

Under state law, the tankers can't operate in state waters without an approved plan, and the plan has to be submitted for renewal every five years. It has to show the company has enough resources lined up to prevent a spill and to respond to what regulators call a "realistic maximum discharge." The current plan expires Aug. 2, 2027.

The tankers, the California and the Washington, load crude at the Valdez Marine Terminal, at the end of the trans-Alaska pipeline, and make about 12 runs a year across the Gulf of Alaska and up the inlet, according to the department's public notice. They're usually in state waters for at least 48 hours on the way from Valdez.

They unload at the Kenai Pipe Line Company dock, about 11 miles north of Kenai. Crude that arrives there is pumped into the Kenai refinery's storage tanks, according to a 2022 state permit notice. Marathon Petroleum, which runs the refinery, says it processes mainly Alaska crude into gasoline, distillates, asphalt and other products.

Each tanker can hold up to 818,425 barrels, but in Cook Inlet they're limited to 499,999 barrels. The dock's own spill plan sets the same cap on any single transfer.

The department is also taking comments through Dec. 1 on Hilcorp's plan for its 12 Cook Inlet platforms.

Comments on the tanker plan are due by 11:59 pm Dec. 9 and can be submitted through the department's comment site. Residents of the affected area or an affected municipality's governing body can request a public hearing in writing before Nov. 24. The department will hold one only if it finds good cause.