FAIRBANKS — Aging infrastructure and declining oil flow are well-known challenges facing the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, but the head of the company that manages the line believes cybersecurity threats present another critical danger.
Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. President Tom Barrett said on Tuesday that the company is bombarded with thousands of attempted online intrusions each month. He said Alyeska devotes considerable resources to warding off such attacks.
“You would be astonished at all the people who try to penetrate our systems from all over the world,” said Barrett, who spoke at the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
Barrett said the origin of such attacks is difficult to determine, but he doesn’t believe Alyeska is being singled out. In sectors such as energy and banking, cyberattacks are frequently launched by everyone from casual hackers to sophisticated entities.
Barrett said Alyeska has been “highly successful” in repelling the attacks but acknowledged that some efforts aren’t detected until they begin to cause problems.
“They range from inconveniencing people … to serious attacks by people who have malicious intent behind them,” he said.
Of the three primary threats that Barrett mentioned to the Chamber crowd, the other two are more familiar: The aging pipeline requires significant upkeep, and decreasing flow is making it less efficient.
To combat the decreased flow — the pipeline is carrying about one-third the amount of oil it was designed to transport — Alyeska is doing more research on how to prevent waxy buildup throughout the line.
There also have been several recent reminders of potential problems with the aging pipeline, however, including a tiny leak discovered near Pump Station 10 last month. A landslide near the pipeline by the Yukon River also highlighted the dangers of melting permafrost, Barrett said.
Alyeska plans to spend $330 million to renew and repair its infrastructure this year. He said spending varies, but about $300 million is typical for its annual budget in those areas.
“This was a brilliantly engineered line, but it is 38 years old,” he said.
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