Crew of Crowley’s Alert recognised for courage

Their heroics occurred during the emergency rescue tow of the drilling rig Kulluk off the southern point of Kodiak Island at the end of 2012.

The massive rig was under tow from Alaska to Seattle, Washington state, for maintenance and repairs when it broke loose from the tug Aiviq. Normally used for tanker escort duties to and from Alyeska Valdez Marine Terminal, the 10,192 hp Alert departed Valdez in response to the Unified Command’s request for assistance and arrived on scene to find Kulluk drifting at 4.5 knots in rough weather and sea conditions. The Alert’s crew were able to catch a trailing emergency line from Kulluk and make a towing connection, in spite of having their decks awash with 30 foot seas. The crew slowed and re-oriented the Kulluk’s drift so that the Aiviq could also make a towing connection to the drilling rig. However, with increasing heavy weather that connection parted after approximately 10 hours.

Once attached, Alert remained tethered by the emergency tow line to the Kulluk and continuously maintained the tow. With 54 foot seas and 40 to 50 knot winds, the Alertwas being pushed backwards at up to two knots toward the Kodiak Island shore. A day later, the Unified Command directed the Alert to release the tow wire. Only after confirmation of the order, did the crew of the Alert reluctantly release their tow wire. Kulluk was allowed to run aground and was later salvaged and transported to a new destination for repairs aboard a semi-submersible heavy lift ship.

During the meeting, Eric Feige presented the Captain and crew of Alert with a letter of commendation from the members of the 28th Alaska State Legislature which stated: “The crew safely and methodically adapted to changing conditions, used their training to identify and manage hazards, and then performed each task to minimise the risks associated with those hazards. We express our admiration and respect to each man individually, and to the crew for its superb teamwork, conducting themselves at all times as professional mariners in an extreme and challenging incident.”

The commendation, referring to the US Coast Guard’s investigation of the incident said: “The tug Alert and all of Crowley equipment used in the evolution of the rescue attempt and towing of the Kulluk performed flawlessly – met and exceeded standards.”

Following the formal event Mr Feige, along with Mayor Dave Cobb from the City of Valdez, spent two hours touring the Alertand individually congratulating each member of the crew, including Captain Rod Layton, Brad Burger, Brett Spellman, James Mueller, Craig Matthews, Leroy Edenshawn and Walt Nickerson.

Crowley’s Valdez operation includes the provision of personnel and specialised tugs such as Alert to help protect the environment through a contract with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company’s Ship Escort/Response Vessel System (SERVS). As part of this arrangement, the company provides tug escorts for tankers travelling through Prince William Sound to and from the Valdez Marine Terminal, assuring safe passage, even under the most extreme winter weather conditions and also providing secure docking and undocking operations.

Tugs in the area include both Alert and Prince William Sound class vessels, all of which were specifically designed for tanker escort and assist work in the region and feature best in class technology, firefighting, emergency and oil spill response capabilities. Annual emergency towing exercises conducted by SERVS with loaded tankers, resulted in the Alert crew being well prepared for the Kulluk rescue tow.