Alaska, a state of unparalleled beauty and vastness, is home to breathtaking snow-capped mountains, polar bears fishing in frozen lakes and rivers, and a diverse and challenging terrain. As the largest state by area in the United States, it is approximately double the size of Texas. Like Texas, Alaska has benefited from the discovery of oil in 1968, but it faces unique challenges as an oil-producing state. With a relatively small population, Alaska struggles with a limited workforce to monitor the extensive pipelines that transport natural gas and petroleum across its vast landscape. This is where Fair Lifts pipeline surveys in Alaska play a crucial role in helping companies cover more ground to protect against damaging oil and natural gas leaks while saving significant amounts of money through aerial pipeline inspections.
Pipelines require regular checks for leaks, which can be costly to companies in terms of financial loss and environmental damage to the land, humans, and wildlife. Traditional ground surveys in Alaska face considerable limitations due to the state’s diverse terrain and the thousands of miles that pipelines cover. No one wants a repeat of the disastrous oil spill that occurred at the BP Exploration Alaska pipeline at Prudhoe Bay in early March 2006, during which over 267,000 US gallons of oil leaked from the pipeline over five days. This incident resulted in massive fines for BP, 1.9 acres of contaminated land, and numerous oil-soaked birds and fish.
Considering the approximately 4,600 miles of new pipelines crisscrossing public and private lands as well as interstates, helicopter charters significantly aid pipeline surveys in Alaska. FairLifts offers helicopter surveys as the most effective way to inspect for leaks, given their ability to traverse wide areas quickly. These aerial surveys are equipped with cutting-edge technology, including lasers and other optical range sensors, to inspect pipelines that are close to the ground. This advanced technology enables the rapid detection of leaks by providing more accurate digital survey imagery.
Highly skilled pilots utilize infrared cameras and, with the assistance of observers, look for minute changes in terrain, exposed pipes, leaks, and spills, or even the smell of gas indicating an oil leak. Upon detecting a leak, the pilot uses a GPS system to alert technicians to the problem immediately. These pilots possess the extraordinary skill of safely skimming over power lines or trees from as low as 300 to 500 feet in the air. Aerial imagery serves as a valuable tool for documenting the different phases of pipeline development and monitoring.
With the vast volume of natural gas and petroleum moving through pipelines in tunnels and underground, helicopter charter patrols use their sophisticated equipment to ensure adherence to Right of Way (ROW) documentation. This documentation outlines the territorial rights and safety of landowners across whose lands the pipelines run.
Monitoring oil pipelines in Alaska can be a costly endeavor for businesses. Ground surveys, with their inherent limitations, are simply not adequately equipped to perform the thorough job required in the challenging Alaskan terrain. With the help of Fair Lifts’ extensive network of partners, businesses can safely and quickly protect property and wildlife against hazardous chemical releases from leaking pipelines. Pipeline surveys in Alaska provide more accurate information to companies and landowners using sensitive high-tech resources.
In summary, aerial inspection systems offer Alaskans peace of mind in knowing that their land has superior protection. By employing Fair Lifts’ helicopter pipeline surveys, companies can cover more ground, prevent potential disasters, and ultimately protect Alaska’s awe-inspiring environment and the people who call it home.