| Acronyms |
| 2ndM | Second Mate |
| 3rdM | Third Mate |
| AB | Able-Bodied Seaman |
| ACMP | Alaska Coastal Management Program |
| ADEC | Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation |
| ADES | Alaska Department of Emergency Services |
| ADFG | Alaska Department of Fish and Game |
| ADM | Admiral |
| ADNR | Alaska Department of Natural Resources |
| AK | Alaska |
| ALYESKA | Alyeska Pipeline Service Company |
| AMT | Alyeska Marine Terminal |
| ANS | Alaska North Slope |
| AMSA | Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act |
| AOSC | Alaska Oil Spill Commission |
| ARRT | Alaska Regional Response Team |
| AVOCC | Alyeska Valdez Operations Control Center |
| BAC | Blood Alcohol Concentration |
| CAPT | Captain |
| CDFU | Cordova District Fisherman United |
| CFMC | Center for Marine Conservation, Washington, D.C. |
| COE | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| CWO3 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 |
| DEIS | Draft Environmental Impact Statement |
| EIS | Environmental Impact Statement |
| EOC | Emergency Operations Center |
| EXXON | Exxon Shipping Company |
| FEIS | Final Environmental Impact Statement |
| FOSC | Federal On-Scene Coordinator |
| GOA | Gulf Of Alaska |
| IDT | Interdisciplinary Team |
| JTF | Joint Task Force |
| LT GEN | Lieutenant General |
| MMPA | Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 |
| MOA | Memorandum of Agreement |
| MOU | Memorandum of Understanding |
| MSO | Marine Safety Office |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 |
| NMFS | National Marine Fisheries Service |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| NPS | National Park Service |
| NRT | National Response Team |
| NTSB | National Transportation Safety Board |
| NWR | National Wildlife Refuge |
| POLREPS | USCG Pollution Report |
| PWS | Prince William Sound |
| PWSCA | Prince William Sound Conservation Alliance, Valdez, Alaska |
| PWSRWG | Prince William Sound Recreation Work Group |
| RADM | Rear Admiral |
| ROD | Record of Decision |
| SERVS | Ship Escort/Response Vessel System |
| SOSC | State On-Scene Coordinator |
| STATE | State of Alaska |
| T/V | Tanker Vessel |
| TSS | Traffic Separation Scheme |
| USAF | U.S. Air Force |
| USCG | U.S. Coast Guard |
| USCGD17 | U.S. Coast Guard District 17 Headquarters Office, Juneau, Alaska |
| USDOD | U.S. Department of Defense |
| USDOI | U.S. Department of Interior |
| USEPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| USFS | U.S. Forest Service |
| USFWS | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| USNOAA | U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| VALDEZ | Alaskan City of Valdez |
| VMRS | Vessel Movement Reporting System |
| VTC | Vessel Traffic Center |
| Terms |
| Alyeska | The company responsible for operation of the Trans Alaskan Pipeline. |
| AutomaticPilot | Computer which can control various aspects of a boat such as heading, course, speed, etc. |
| Balast Tank | Balast is weight and a Balast tank is used to balance or position a boat in the water by increasing or decreasing the weight it holds. |
| Bioremediation | Using biological agents to clean oil from beaches, for example microorganism that break down oil into chemicals that are environmentally neutral. |
| Boom | Used in water to entrap or guide oil. Comes in a variety of weights and sizes. |
| Bow | The front of a boat. |
| Cold Deluge | Method used to clean oil from beaches by saturating the beach with sea water and gathering runoff at the waterline. |
| et. al. | "And Others" |
| Helmsman | The person on a boat that is responsible for steering. |
| Hot-High | Method used to clean oil off beaches by washing the beach with hot water at high pressure. |
| Mooring Line | A rope or cable holding a boat to a dock or other object. |
| North Slope | Reference to the North Slopes of Alaska where oil is mined and enters the Trans Alaskan Pipeline. |
| Mousse | When oil is on the water and it gets extremely mixed with seawater via wind or wave action it becomes a mixture known as mousse. Mousse is difficult for skimmers to pick up and doesnt burn well. |
| Sea Speed | The speed a boat travels when it is in open water is known as sea speed. |
| Sheen | A layer of oil floating on water is know as a sheen. |
| Stern | The back of a boat. |
| T/V | Tanker Vessel |
