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WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY |
State Will Fund Neah Bay Rescue TugMarch 13, 2007PRESS RELEASE: The Washington legislature has approved year around funding for the Neah Bay rescue tug through June of 2009, as part of the supplemental operating budget it adopted this week. In the past, the tug was only funded for operation during the stormy winter season. The tug is stationed at the mouth of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca with the mission of preventing oil spills by assisting disabled ships within the strait and in the outer coastal area. The contract cost of maintaining the tug Gladitor at Neah Bay, including fuel and operating expenses, is $9,000 per day. "The State has now realized that this protection is not a luxury," said San Juan County Councilmember Kevin Ranker, noting that the economic and environmental impact of the Exxon Valdez oil spill is still being debated and litigated in Alaska 18 years after it occurred. "With the help of Governor Gregoire and Senator Harriet Spanel, the legislature recognized that we can't risk the impacts of an oil spill on our environment," he said. The contract for the winter storm season lapsed on March 7. The new funds will be available, and the tug is expected to go back into continuous operation, in July. According to the Washington Department of Ecology, oil tankers and cargo ships make more than 10,500 trips through the strait each year. Dry cargo ships carry as much as one million gallons of fuel, oil barges often carry more than 18 million gallons of oil and fuel and tankers can carry up to 36 million gallons of oil. The tug's most recent rescue call came on February 27, when it assisted a 651 foot carrier ship which lost propulsion in the Strait. That was just nine days before the tug's winter contract lapsed. Ranker said that gaining support for the year around operation of the tug is a major victory for the County. "With this and winning approval of the state's Orca Protection legislation, we've been successful with two of our four legislative priorities," Ranker said. He said he is hopeful that a third priority, winning federal funding and assistance to preserve Mitchell Hill, will come through this fall. The only legislative priority that has failed to win approval was a request for additional funding for the County's Lead Entity for Salmon Recovery program. Ecology signs contract for 2007 rescue tug coverageposted 11/16/2006
The agreement fills a gap created when Foss Maritime opted out of its contract in August due to a shortage of tugs. Foss did agree to keep a rescue tug stationed at Neah Bay from Nov. 1 through until Dec. 31, 2006. Yesterday, (Nov. 15, 2006) Foss deployed its Neah Bay rescue tug into the Strait of Juan de Fuca as a precautionary measure due to the stormy weather and rough seas. A rescue tug has been stationed at Neah Bay since the spring of 1999 to help assist disabled ships traveling off the coast and through the Strait of Juan de Fuca from drifting onto rocks and spilling oil. During this time, rescue tugs have come to the aid of 29 disabled ships. Under the new contract, Crowley Maritime, based in Jacksonville, Fla., will provide rescue tug service from Jan. 1 through March or April, for $8,500 a day plus fuel. "It is vital that we have a tug at Neah Bay to prevent oil spills in one of the most environmentally sensitive and valuable areas of Washington," said Dale Jensen, who oversees spill prevention, preparedness and response activities for Ecology. "Even under the best of conditions, oil is a challenge to clean up and all but impossible to contain during the roughest weather months." 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. "I am very pleased that Crowley is able to build on its many years of service in enhancing commerce, protecting the environment, and ensuring the safety of ship's crews in Washington state. We look forward to working with Ecology, the Makah Indian Tribe, the Coast Guard and others in the maritime community as we continue this important protective measure for our coastline," said John Douglass, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Crowley Maritime. Winter storms present a higher risk of oil spills from the more than 7,000 tankers and cargo ships traveling through the Strait each year. Cargo ships can carry more than 2 million gallons of cargo oil, and oil barges or tankers can carry up to 40 million gallons of oil. Beaches in the Olympic National Park, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and tribal lands are directly at risk for major oil spills since they are adjacent to the shipping route. Rescue tug service starts Nov. 1posted 09/22/2006
Winter storms present a higher risk of oil spills from the more than 7,000 tankers and cargo ships traveling through the strait each year. Cargo ships can carry up to 1 million gallons of cargo oil, and oil barges or tankers can carry up to 33 million gallons of oil. Since 1999, the rescue tug has assisted 29 disabled ships plying state waters. "Preventing oil spills is our primary mission because we know that even under the best of conditions, oil is difficult to clean up but impossible to contain in the bad weather our coast often experiences," said Dale Jensen, who manages Ecology's spills program. The state Legislature provided $1.4 million with the goal of providing 200 days of service for the 2006-07 winter season. For about $6,000 a day Foss Maritime was slated to provide rescue tug coverage this winter. In August, the tug and barge company notified Ecology that the company is experiencing a shortage of tugs in the Pacific Northwest and exercised its option to opt out of its 2006-07 contract for the month of October. Foss will station a rescue tug at Neah Bay in November and December. Ecology sought to find coverage for October 2006. The department, however, received a single bid for $22,500 a day to place a rescue tug at Neah Bay. "Unfortunately the bid was too high. If we had accepted it, we would have been in the position of spending nearly all the money earmarked for the tug in three months - with some of the worst winter months to come," said Dale Jensen, who manages Ecology's spills program. "The current contract issue highlights the need to find a stable, long-term funding source for a rescue tug," Jensen said that during October 2006, Ecology will have the option to charter a tug if a major storm hits the coast. Ecology also will solicit bids seeking rescue tug service for winter 2007 and the next 2007-08 winter season. A major spill could cost millions to respond and cleanup and hurt Washington's fishing and shellfish industries, further endanger salmon runs, kill birds and marine mammals, ruin public beaches, halt vessel traffic, and dampen tourism, said Jensen. State-funded rescue tug dispatched to aid cargo shipPhoto of New Carissa contributed posted 03/06/2006 The Cyprus-based Khorol was headed for Puget Sound when it reported engine problems to Coast Guard Sector Seattle late Friday evening, March 2, 2007. The Coast Guard directed the 377-foot long refrigerated cargo ship to stay offshore until the Gladiator, a rescue tug funded by the state Department of Ecology (DOE), could reach the ship to escort it into Port Angeles for engine repair. Crews on the Khorol made emergency engine repairs at sea, but about three miles outside Port Angeles, the engine failed. The rescue tug, already escorting the ship, then brought it in to Port Angeles. The Gladiator will be on standby in the harbor until engine repairs on the cargo ship are completed. DOE and the Coast Guard will oversee repairs before the ship is allowed to continue its journey. The agent for the Khorol has been attempting to find a relief tug since early Saturday, so the Gladiator can return to its regular duties at Neah Bay. This incident points out the need for high horsepower tugs to be available to assist ships with loss of power or other incidents that jeopardize the safety of the crew and the environment, according to the Coast Guard. "The public is thankful that we have a resource like the Gladiator in emergency situations to keep our waters safe and prevent spills," Dale Jensen, DOE's spills program manager.
"This is a perfect example of why the state needs to continue to fund the rescue tug," said Councilman Ranker. "If the rescue tug had not been in position, we could easily have had another New Carissa right here in the Puget Sound." According to the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife Web site: On February 4, 1999, the New Carissa, an empty 660-foot long cargo ship, went aground just north of the entrance to Coos Bay, Oregon. Pounded in the high surf and strong winds of a pacific storm, the vessel began breaking up. An attempt was made to burn away some of its hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel oil before the ship broke apart. The precise amount of oil released from the damaged ship is difficult to determine, but has been estimated by various sources at somewhere between 25,000 gallons and 140,000 gallons. Most of the spilled oil is something called "Bunker C," an extremely thick oil used for fuel by large ships. The Coast Guard and DOE work together to protect the waters of Washington state. Ecology oversees the rescue tug contract. Crowley Marine Services, based in Jacksonville, Fla., has been providing rescue tug service since Jan. 1, and will do so through this March or April. The state has stationed a standby tug at Neah Bay since the spring of 1999 to help assist disabled ships traveling off the coast and through the Strait of Juan de Fuca from drifting onto rocks and spilling oil. During this time, rescue tugs have come to the aid of 30 disabled ships. The tug protects a particularly vulnerable area of Washington's outer coast, which is environmentally sensitive and irreplaceable. State lawmakers provided Ecology $1.4 million with the goal of providing about 200 days of rescue tug service for the 2006-07 winter season. HOW TO CONTACT THE GOVERNOR and LEGISLATORS: |
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