Answered
What is the Alaskan Pipeline?
The alaskan pipeline is a network of pipes that bring oil to the lower 48 states. * It is a pipeline that transfers oil from the Northern coast of Alaska, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska,… on Alaska's North Slope, to Valdez, Alaska, the "northernmost" ice-free port in North America. * As of July 2008, more than 15 billion barrels of oil have been pumped from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. * Quick Facts * Length: 800 miles. * Diameter: 48 inches. (Avg) * Crosses three mountain ranges and over 800 rivers and streams. * Cost to build: $8 billion in 1977, largest privately funded construction project at that time. * Construction began on March 27, 1975 and was completed on May 31, 1977. * First oil moved through the pipeline on June 20, 1977. * First tanker to carry crude oil from Valdez: ARCO Juneau, August 1, 1977. * Tankers loaded at Valdez: 19,625 through April 30, 2008. * Storage tanks in Valdez- 18 with total storage capacity of 9.1 million barrels total. * The mission of Alyeska's Ship Escort Response Vessel System is to safely escort tankers through Prince William Sound. (MORE)
