New Tug Put to Work on First Day of Job
It didn't take long for the state to make use of a new rescue tug stationed at the northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula. Just before midnight on New Year's Eve, a wooden fishing vessel with two men and hundreds of gallons of fuel on board was reported drifting near Cape Alava, the scenic beach in Olympic National Park about 10 miles south of Cape Flattery. The new tug, owned by Crowley Marine Services and named Gladiator, was not scheduled to take over from a Foss Maritime tug until midnight. But it had arrived at its new station by 11 p.m. and responded when the call came in. The Gladiator towed the disabled vessel into Neah Bay and turned it over to the Coast Guard, the state Ecology Department said Monday in a statement.
Washington to Post Rescue Tug at Neah Bay
According to Kitsap Sun, the Washington state Ecology Department has to use an emergency contracting procedure to get a rescue tug to Neah Bay by October first. Foss Maritime Services of Seattle has contracted with the department the past five years but says it won't have one available for the job until November. The state paid six-thousand dollars a day last winter for the rescue tug at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca (FEW'-kuh). Environmentalists consider the tug essential to avoiding oil spills from ships that lose power. Since 1999, the tug has been sent out to assist ships 29 times, including three times last winter. (Kitsap Sun)
Two Tugboats Sank Near Port Gamble
The Coast Guard says two tugboats -- not just one -- sank early Monday near Port Gamble. An estimated 200 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from one vessel before a vent was plugged by divers. The Coast Guard, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office and state Ecology Department are investigating the sinkings. The tugs were tied together near the old Port Gamble mill. The Kitsap County Health District advises against harvesting or eating shellfish from the bay until further notice because of the fuel spill. But the state Department of Health gave the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe the O-K to resume geoduck (GOO'-ee-duck) harvesting. The big clams are found in deeper waters. Source: AP
