Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) situated on 1,000 acres on the southern shore of ice-free Port Valdez, this is where tankers have loaded Alaska North Slope Crude cargo for four decades, since TAPS startup in 1977. Alyeska employees and contractors work all over the VMT– in offices and warehouses and fabrication shops, on docks and loading berths and heavy equipment, and in sophisticated process areas such Ballast Water Treatment and a power plant.
The facility was designed to load tankers and provide temporary storage capacity to increase reliability and allow North Slope production to operate without impact from marine transport system delays. It cost approximately $1.4 billion to construct and stretches in elevation from sea level to 660 feet up the forested and often snowy Valdez mountainside. The facility has its own emergency and fire response team, and through the Power Vapor Facility, creates its own power. The VMT today operates two loading berths, with 14 storage tanks in service and a working inventory capacity of 6.6 million barrels of crude oil.
Power Vapor at Valdez Marine Terminal
Valdez Marine Terminal (VMT) features a state-of-the-art power-generation facility known as Power Vapor, equipped with three high-capacity steam boilers that produce 175,000 pounds of steam per hour at 600 psi and 750°F. These robust systems are essential for meeting the terminal’s energy requirements and supporting operational needs.
Power Vapor is designed with environmental responsibility in mind, managing vapors generated from tanker loading and the tank farm, with Berths 4 and 5 connected to the vapor system. The facility is capable of generating at least 50% of VMT’s power needs from the vapor management system, with remaining energy supplied by ultra-low sulfur diesel to minimize environmental impact.
Loading berths
Infrastructure and Equipment
VMT currently operates Berths 4 and 5, which are essential for loading operations. These berths are equipped with advanced vapor-recovery arms to improve environmental safety by minimizing vapor emissions during the loading process.
1. Function:
- VMT is responsible for the loading of tankers with crude oil.
- It facilitates the loading of approximately 20 tankers each month.
2. Ownership
- All tankers loaded at VMT are owned by the terminal itself.
Operational Responsibilities
VMT oversees the entire tanker loading process and is the primary contractor for oil spill response related to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), operating through the Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS).