Neah Bay Response Tug Starts First full Year of Service
Beginning July 1, the emergency response tug will begin an unprecedented tour of duty for – providing 365 continuous days of service to help prevent oil spills in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and along coastlines. Since 1999, state-funded response tugs stationed at 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.
Year-round Response Tug for Neah Bay
A state-funded emergency response tug will be stationed at Neah Bay, ready to prevent oil spills 365 days a year under a contract extension agreement signed today between the Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Crowley Maritime Corporation (Crowley).The extension agreement marks the first time that a response tug will be stationed at Neah Bay for a full year of service. During the 2008 legislative session, Gov. Chris Gregoire and lawmakers provided $3.7m for emergency response tug service. Under the contract, Crowley will station a high-horsepower, ocean-going tug at Neah Bay from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009. “Every year, thousands of vessels carrying billions of gallons of oil make transits through the Strait of Juan de Fuca,” said Gov. Gregoire.
