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Department of Ecology News Release - December 21, 2007
07-376
Storms, floods and recent incidents highlight oil spill threats
OLYMPIA – With winter barely under way, winter storms, gale-force winds and
massive flooding have wreaked havoc across Washington – and have put to the test
the statewide network that works to prevent oil spills and to aggressively
respond to spills that do occur.
Here are some oil spill prevention and response highlights for December:
- In the two weeks since the massive Dec. 3 flood in the Chehalis River
basin, Department of Ecology (Ecology) spill responders have recovered
nearly 130 oil and hazardous waste containers, including 16 different
55-gallon drums containing unknown liquids.
- A 435-gallon diesel fuel spill occurred in Tacoma’s Hylebos Waterway on
Dec. 10 when the Trident Seafood commercial fishing vessel Bowfin was
pumping fuel between two onboard tanks. An undetermined amount spilled to
water and either spread out to become a thin unrecoverable sheen or got
trapped under the company’s dock. Cleanup contractors had to remove planks
and access construction openings to remove the remaining fuel.
- Stormy weather caused several inland fuel spills. The biggest inland
threat happened on Dec. 2 on the Snake River near the Ice Harbor Dam.
Ecology activated a regional Columbia-Snake River spill response team made
up of local and federal agencies and private firms after the 87-foot tugboat
Deschutes suffered damage to its propellers and hull on the Snake River near
the Ice Harbor Dam. The Deschutes was pushing three barges when strong winds
pushed the tug onto rocks near the dam which punctured the tug’s hull.
Although the tug had 6,000 gallons of diesel in the tank that was damaged,
little oil was spilled into the river due quick actions taken by the
response team.
- The state-funded emergency response tug at Neah Bay has been deployed
twice so far this month. On Dec. 3, the Crowley Maritime-operated tug
Gladiator was dispatched after the Kauai, a 720-foot container ship, was
smashed by a large ocean swell near Cape Flattery. The waves broke out the
wheelhouse windows, damaged electronic systems and knocked out the ship’s
primary steering system. The Gladiator met the container ship at the mouth
of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and escorted the vessel to Port Angeles. On
Dec. 11, the Gladiator was activated after the Na Hoku temporarily lost its
primary electrical power and steering about 12.5 miles west of Cape
Flattery. The 105-foot tug was towing a fuel barge containing 2.5 million
gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline. Although the Na Hoku’s main propulsion
engines remained operable and the vessel was able to maintain control of the
barge tow and steering, the U.S. Coast Guard directed the tug to take the
Gladiator as an escort back to Port Angeles to ensure that repairs were
properly completed and verified.
- On Dec. 18, strong winds broke one of the tow lines between the tug
Alyssa Ann, operated by Olympic Tug and Barge, Inc. of Seattle, and a
271-foot fuel barge carrying nearly 284,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil. The
double-hulled Shauna Kay barge was blown into the breakwall of the Elliott
Bay Marina where it was grounded for less than an hour. Ecology spill
responders and vessel inspectors worked with the Coast Guard to check the
vessel at pier 91 after the tug company moved the barge. No oil spilled.
“All of these incidents and activities have tested our abilities. We have
successfully met the challenge and either helped prevent significant spills or
aggressively responded to keep environmental harm to a minimum,” said Ecology
Spills Program Manager Dale Jensen. “Preventing spills and promoting safe
maritime practices are our top priorities. We need all ships and vessels in
Washington to operate safely and follow maritime safety standards, and be
especially vigilant during winter storms and the holiday season.”
Jensen said that a major spill could hurt Washington’s fishing and shellfish
industries, further endanger salmon runs, kill birds and marine mammals, ruin
public beaches, and dampen tourism.
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Media contact: Curt Hart, 360-407-6990; cell 360-480-7908 (char461@ecy.wa.gov)
Response tug history: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/hottopics/response_tug/tugresponsemainpage.htm
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