Neah Bay Response Tug Starts First full Year of Service

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Beginning July 1, the Neah Bay emergency response tug will begin an unprecedented tour of duty for Washington – providing 365 continuous days of service to help prevent oil spills in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and along Washington coastlines.
Since 1999, state-funded response tugs stationed at Neah Bay have kept disabled ships from drifting onto rocks and causing major oil spills during the stormy winter months. The tugs have stood by or assisted 40 ships that were disabled or had reduced maneuvering or propulsion.
During the 2008 legislative session, Gov. Gregoire and state lawmakers earmarked $3.7 million for the tug and directed the Department of Ecology (Ecology) to contract for year-round emergency response tug service starting July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009.
In April, Ecology and Crowley Maritime Corp. (Crowley) agreed to extend the company’s existing contract to station a high-horsepower, ocean-going tug at Neah Bay for a year. The agreement marks the first time a response tug will provide a full year of continuous service.
Under the agreement, Crowley will receive $8,500 a day plus fuel costs. Ecology recently reached an agreement with the Makah Indian Tribe to install new electrical outlets and upgrade other infrastructure at the Neah Bay Marina where the tug docks.
Crowley’s ocean-going tug Hunter will start service and remain on standby in Neah Bay until Gladiator, the tug the company has previously stationed at Neah Bay, completes its current contract to tow a ship located in the Gulf of Alaska to a safe port.
State Sen. Harriet Spanel, one of the strongest advocates for the response tug for the past 10 years, said that the current state level of funding is enough to keep the tug at Neah Bay for a year – until a permanent, stable funding source can be established.