Alaska

At 800 miles long, TAPS is one of the world’s largest pipeline systems, transporting Alaska North Slope crude oil from Pump Station 1 in Prudhoe Bay; then travels across the state’s terrain, including traversing three mountain ranges, three major earthquake faults, and hundreds of rivers and streams; and comes to its end in Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in North America. Tankers are loaded at the Valdez Marine Terminal, delivering about four percent of the nation’s crude oil supply to market.

More than half of the pipeline runs above ground – an engineering decision made due to Alaska’s prevalent permafrost.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company