Oilfield service companies: supporting oil and gas exploration and development in Alaska.

• Author: Cottrell, Paula
• Position: OIL & GAS

The oil and gas industry is big business in Alaska with oil companies like Buccaneer, Furie and Linc Energy joining the ranks of BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell. Because oil throughput in the trans-Alaska oil pipeline is declining, these newcomers are exploring at an aggressive rate to work toward development and production in order to help fill the pipeline.

Keeping up with all these companies are the many support services businesses that operate in Alaska's oil fields, from Cook Inlet to the North Slope and the Arctic. From the mechanics who keep the equipment running to the caterers and housekeepers who service the camps, it takes a wide range of oilfield support service companies to ensure things are kept running smoothly. Here's a closer look at three.

Environmental Support Services

Pacific Environmental Corporation began providing oil spill response services to Alaska oil companies more than 20 years ago. During that time, they have seen their role as emergency oil spill response personnel evolve to take on a more proactive role.

"It's been several years since we've had a major event on the North Slope," says Matt Melton, Alaska area manager for PENCO. "We've worked on a lot of oil spills over the years, but an increased attitude towards safer and cleaner work practices by our clients have required us to become versed in not just oil spill clean-up, but oil spill prevention as well."

Prevention requires a lot of monitoring and a thorough understanding of spill prevention countermeasures and controls. For PENCO field hands, this means being aware of everything that is happening on the pad. "The day is spent making the rounds, identifying any contamination, no matter how small, finding the source and ensuring it is brought to the attention of the client so the problem can be corrected," says Melton. "This includes making sure there are containments under vehicles and that those containments don't show any signs of discharge from vehicles."

It's up to the PENCO spill technician to be able to identify what kind of fluid has been discharged, the source and how to effectively clean it up. "By identifying the source, it allows the client to keep small problems from turning into big problems," says Melton. "This proactive approach means better maintained equipment and safer operations."

Maintaining the integrity of spill containment areas, monitoring fluid and fuel transfers as well as general oil field housekeeping tasks are all part of the job. "Our clients depend on the expertise and experience of our personnel out in the field to make sure all of their operations are safe and environmentally compliant," says Melton. "We are...