Military Sealift Command Helps Protect the Environment

Photo By Elisha Smith | 220715-N-MR124-1072 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 15, 2022) Civilian mariners from Military Sealift Command handle line aboard Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) as it refuels during a replenishment-at-sea as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022, July 15. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, four submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elisha Smith)  

PACIFIC OCEAN

07.21.2022

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Elisha Smith 

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

PACIFIC OCEAN -- Military Sealift Command (MSC) is made up of civilian mariners and ships traveling the world to refuel and replenish ships at sea, keeping the U.S. Navy mission ready, through refueling-at-sea, connected replenishments and vertical replenishments.

The MSC fleet of commercial oilers can transport millions of gallons of two types of fuel: F76, for ships and JP5, or jet fuel, for aviation assets. In a job that has mariners dealing with millions of gallons of fuel every day, the safety of Sailors and the environment is paramount.

“We need to make sure (the crew) are properly trained and understand the requirements of the job that they are being assigned to,” said Garth Kirk, a native of Laramie, Wyoming., captain of Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-AO 197). “We also have to make sure that the equipment aboard the ship is up to specifications and works the way it’s supposed to and that we have adequate space and room to receive the cargo.”

Kirk also said it takes lots of monitoring and keeping up with the equipment to make sure that the fuel and cargo stays where it’s supposed to be and goes nowhere else.

The crew of Pecos takes a number of safety precautions at sea and in port to ensure no fuel or toxins can pollute the seas or air while refueling or during normal operations. They install fuel barriers while receiving fuel in port, routinely test fuel hoses for leaks quarterly, test and monitor engine output for air pollutants and conduct safety briefs on safety procedures before and after every evolution.

“To protect from leaks into our oceans all the fueling stations aboard the vessel and all of the flexible hoses are hydro-statically tested before we transfer fuel,” said Travis Ochs, a native of Saint James, New York, second assistant cargo engineer for Pecos. “The deck department actually disassembles all of the fuel hoses, puts them on the decks, fills them with water and pressure tests them with a pump to check for leaks.”

Not only does the MSC do everything in its power to prevent harm to the environment, they also do what they can to help clean the environment by responding to fuel disasters and natural disasters.

“A duty,” said Kirk, “that the crew takes to heart.”

“It’s been too many years that the environment has been ignored by previous generations,” he said. “We owe a debt to the next generation to clean up our act and to do things properly and the way they are supposed to be done. It’s a debt to our future.”

• Date Taken: 07.21.2022
• Date Posted: 07.26.2022 22:25
• Story ID: 425660
• Location: PACIFIC OCEAN