JUNEAU, Alaska – U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian coast guard, oil response organizations and federal agencies from both countries will participate in a joint training exercise Tuesday to Thursday in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
The Canadian hosted exercise is held in conjunction with the Joint U.S./Canada Contingency Plan for spills in contiguous waters between the two countries. It will be an opportunity for Coast Guard personnel to interface with international partners and practice response procedures currently used throughout all of Southeast Alaska. One of the exercise objectives is to demonstrate the ability of agencies to mobilize using the Incident Command Structure from the National Incident Management System.
Additionally, the exercise is designed to test an oil recovery response plan that could be implemented should there be a release from U.S. Army Corps vessel Brigadier General Zalinski during an oil removal operation that is in the planning stage at this time.
The Zalinksi, which was used in World War I and World War II, ran aground and sank in 1946 during a storm in Grenville Channel, British Columbia. The Army vessel was carrying a cargo of munitions, army trucks and lumber when it sank. It is estimated that roughly 200,000 gallons of fuel oil remain on the vessel.
Expected exercise participants include Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard, Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, State of Alaska, the Province of British Columbia and South East Alaska Petroleum Response Organization, the mutual aid response organization from Ketchikan and other Provincial and Federal Canadian & U.S. government agencies.
