Washington Department Of Ecology News

A 77-year-old fish factory vessel with a checkered history is reportedly leaking ammonia in Tacoma, Wash.The U.S. Coast Guard said on Wednesday it is responding to the incident on board the U.S.-registered Pacific Producer, a 169-foot-long seafood processing vessel with a long string of health, safety and labor violations.Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology crews in HAZMAT suits are currently working to locate leak. The vessel poses no immediate threat to the public…

A Washington State Ferries (WSF) passenger vessel has been refloated after running aground this weekend in Rich Passage, just off Bainbridge Island, Wash.The 440-foot double-ended Jumbo Class ferry Walla Walla returned to Bremerton on Sunday, after grounding at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday, while traveling to Seattle from Bremerton.There were 596 passengers and 15 crew members on board at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported, according to WSF.Passengers were transferred onto Kitsap Transit vessels and taken to Bremerton…

Washington State Ferries will begin the process of converting three Jumbo Mark II vessels from diesel to hybrid-electric power.The government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced Tuesday the state will receive $35 million from the federal Volkswagen settlement to retrofit the Tacoma, Wenatchee and Puyallup.The ferry system is the largest consumer of diesel fuel in the state with over 18 million gallons of diesel burned each year, and the three Jumbo Mark II ferries account for 26 percent of total fuel consumption. This step brings the state ferry system closer to meeting the goals outlined in Gov.

A local barge company has been fined $18,000 for spilling 40,000 gallons of liquid urea ammonium nitrate into the Snake and Columbia rivers. Urea ammonium nitrate is a common fertilizer that is corrosive to steel. An investigation by the Washington Department of Ecology found that two steel tank barges owned and operated by Tidewater Barge Lines, Inc. were not properly maintained, causing the liquid fertilizer to spill into the rivers during three separate incidents in April 2017. The first spill occurred between April 11 and 21 during transfer and storing operations at the Tidewater Snake River Terminal in Pasco. Investigators determined that 16,639 gallons of urea ammonium nitrate were released by Barge No. 78 due to corrosion of the storage tank.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has concluded its portion of the response in overseeing the salvage operations of the fishing vessel Privateer off the beach at Ocean Shores in Washington, Wednesday. The Coast Guard’s response concluded when personnel from the Incident Management Division at Sector Columbia River found no recoverable fuel aboard the Privateer during their inspection of the beached vessel. The Privateer washed ashore, Saturday, April 16, after the Coast Guard rescued the three-man crew the night before 1 mile outside of Grays Harbor after the 74-foot fishing vessel started sinking.

A 623-foot Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier Sparna ran aground early Monday morning in the main shipping channel of the Columbia River near Cathlamet, Washington,  according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Sparna has taken on water in void spaces, but authorities believe the vessel's fuel tanks were not damaged in the incident. Coast Guard officials said the 623-foot bulk carrier Sparna ran aground around 12:16 a.m. in the narrow section of the river. Officials said the Sparna was fully loaded with grain, along with 218,380 gallons of high sulfur fuel and 39,380 gallons of marine diesel,  and heading west towards the ocean before it was grounded. The ship apparently hit a submerged object in the river and took on water in void spaces, but the vessel’s fuel tanks were not damaged.

Six boats and 10 housing sheds were destroyed by a fierce fire early Sunday morning at the Port Orchard Yacht Club. South Kitsap Fire officials say the fire broke out around 3 a.m. at the yacht club on Bay Street. "We were asleep and our friends called us up and said do you realize there is a fire on b dock," said Barbara Letson, who has a house boat. Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, Washington Department of Ecology and South Kitsap Fire & Rescue are mopping up any pollution resulting from an early morning fire at Port Orchard Yacht Club. Luckily no one was hurt in the fire, officials said. Coast Guard’s incident management team was on site shortly after the blaze was called in. The team began an assessment of the damage and of any potential hazards in the water.

Columbia's state environmental agency said that roughly 80 gallons of oil was spilled into the Columbia River by a vessel near Kalama. The Nord Auckland, a 618-foot ship flagged in Singapore, reportedly spilled the waste oil during an internal oil transfer on Thursday morning. The ship, owned and operated by Denmark’s Norden, was at anchor when an apparent operator error led to the spill of substances which were intended to be incinerated. The multi-team response was coordinated by the Washington Department of Ecology and the US Coast Guard (USCG). Department of Ecology documents say the cause is still under investigation but the source of the spill was secured and no additional spills are expected.

Pollution cleanup efforts are underway after sheening was reported around the bulk carrier Nord Auckland anchored near Kalama, Thursday. The 610-foot Singapore-flagged vessel reportedly released bunker oil due to operator error that was intended to be burned in the incinerator, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Overseeing the response efforts are personnel from the Washington Department of Ecology and the Coast Guard, who said the responsible party has contracted Clean Rivers Cooperative to handle cleanup operations. Two booming vessels are on scene with crews engaged in cleanup operations.

101 Crowley Vessels Honored with Environmental Awards in Recognition of 984 Combined Years of Safe Operations. More than 100 Crowley Maritime Corporation-owned and -operated vessels were honored with Certificates of Environmental Achievement for years of safe operations during the recent 12th-annual Chamber of Shipping of America (CSA) awards ceremony, held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington D.C. Each of Crowley’s honored vessels received the certificates for having worked at least two consecutive years without an environmental incident.

Tacoma Industrial Properties (TIP) and RV Associates , two companies involved in a 2012 oil spill while dismantling an unpermitted barge on the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma, have settled their penalties with the Washington Department of Ecology. In June 2013, the two companies were penalized a combined $24,800 following the spill of around 25 gallons of oil on June 21, 2012. The spill occurred when the two companies were dismantling a derelict vessel known as the Hauff Barge without proper permits, causing a visible oil sheen that covered about 23 acres of the waterway, or an area equal to about 17 football fields. The settlement reached by TIP…

The Port of Seattle’s 2015 cruise season began May 1 at Smith Cove Cruise Terminal with the arrival of the Holland America Line Westerdam. The port expects 192 cruise ship calls this season, bringing an estimated 895,055 revenue passengers. “Each of these cruise ships contribute $2.5 million to the local economy, which comes out to over $400 million for this cruise season,” said Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman. “We also want passengers to stay in the area an extra few days to spend more time and money in Washington state.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology will host a spill preparedness conference May 20-21 at the Jackson Federal Building in Seattle. The two-day seminar is an opportunity to discuss the latest in spill-recovery theory and technology. The sessions focus on topics including remote oil sensing technology, sinking oils, software tools and best practices. "In the response business, there is no room for complacency,” said Capt. Robert Pearce, chief of response, Coast Guard 13th District. “Knowing about the latest game-changing technology is important. Opportunities are everywhere. The marine environment that dominates the Pacific Northwest is essential to the high quality of our lives.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has been honored with the 2015 Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman’s Earth Day Award in recognition of the organization’s companywide environmental stewardship initiatives. The announcement was made during a Professional Environmental Management Association luncheon held in Seal Beach, Calif., earlier this week. FMC Chairman Mario Cordero will present a plaque commemorating the award to Crowley during a future recognition ceremony in Washington D.C.

Crowley Petroleum Services will be awarded the Exceptional Compliance Program (ECOPRO) award for excellence in marine safety and environmental stewardship from the Washington Department of Ecology  this Thursday at Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center in Seattle. Companies that apply for the ECOPRO certification are required to submit plans to the Washington Department of Ecology for approval. Their plans are valid for three years. Ecology vessel inspectors conduct ship audits to make sure the management system is being implemented and continues to meet or exceed state ECOPRO standards.

Ecology issues $112,500 penalty for sunken vessel. American Gold Seafoods faces a $112,500 penalty for an oil spill caused by the accidental sinking of its vessel, the Clam Digger, in July 2013 near Anacortes. The Washington Department of Ecology investigated the cause of the sinking and spill and determined that negligence was a key factor. When the Clam Digger left Anacortes on July 10, the boat encountered high waves, began taking on water, and eventually sank. AGS immediately initiated appropriate response protocols. Divers recovered the boat six days later, but during the recovery efforts 315 gallons of oil spilled. "This spill was preventable," said Dale Jensen, who manages Ecology’s Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response Program.

Solomon Associates has  announced it has been working in collaboration with the refining industry and state officials in Washington to assist in establishing a regulatory framework designed to help control greenhouse gas emissions from Washington’s five petroleum refineries. The Washington Department of Ecology has begun the process of controlling greenhouse gas emissions by adopting a new rule under RCW 70.94.154. The rule requires all Washington stationary sources to have reasonably available control technology (RACT). Refineries are being presented with two options to meet the requirement. The first compliance option requires refineries to use Solomon’s Energy Intensity Index® (EII®) to benchmark their energy efficiency against other similar-sized refineries in the nation.

The 72-foot tug 'Iver' lies in approximately 16 feet of water after sinking at the pier at Mariner Properties on Lake Union near Seattle. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received notification from the vessel’s caretaker at 7:30 a.m., reporting that the Iver had sunk and that there was a fuel sheen in the water. The Iver is no longer used as a commercial tug and has been converted for private use. The owner told the Coast Guard that the tug is capable of holding up to 1,700 gallons of fuel, however, the exact amount on board is unknown at this time.

The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is fining Olympic Tug & Barge of Seattle $16,500 for spilling oil into Port Angeles Harbor last November. The spill occurred when a company-owned fuel barge was overfilled while being loaded with fuel oil. Ecology determined the Nov. 7, 2012, heavy fuel oil spill occurred because of an error by the barge operator. More than 1,700 gallons of fuel spilled to the deck of the barge with nearly 50 gallons entering Port Angeles Harbor. The oil transfer was being conducted at the Tesoro Port Angeles Terminal located at the foot of the spit Ediz Hook. Olympic Tug & Barge had oil containment boom placed around the barge prior to starting the fuel transfer which helped contain the spill.

The Port of Seattle, along with the Port of Tacoma and Port Metro Vancouver, implemented the first international ports clean air program in 2008, & now releases their DRAFT 2013 strategy. Agency partners include U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA), Washington Department of Ecology, and Environment Canada. Read the 2013 DRAFT Strategy here.

Crewmembers aboard the 314-ft fishing vessel 'Arctic Storm' extinguised an engine-room fire using the ship's Halon chemical firefighting system. The Coast Guard continues to respond to the vessel approximately 30 miles west of Grays Harbor, Wash. A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Astoria and two 47-foot motor lifeboat crews from Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor monitored, while 'Good Samaritan' vessels evacuated 78 of the 120 personnel to commercial fishing vessels Northern Voyager, Golden Alaska, Sea Dawn and Excellence.

Workers last week removed the final piece of the metal sheet pile cofferdam from the barge Davy Crockett work site on the Columbia River near Camas, Wash. This effectively signals the end of a 10-month effort to prevent a catastrophic release of oil and other hazardous materials from the former Liberty ship. Constructed in April 2011, the 850-linear foot cofferdam and impermeable liner allowed crews to systematically dismantle the derelict barge in the river and keep any pollution generated by the project to be contained and properly handled within.

Crowley Maritime Corporation was recently recognized for its environmental stewardship by the Port of the Seattle and Seattle Propeller Club, which teamed up to present the company with its second-consecutive honorable mention award for Marine Environmental Business of the Year. The awards ceremony took place at the 60th Annual Maritime Festival Luncheon aboard Holland America's cruise ship Zaandam in Seattle. The event, attended by more than 500 people from the regional maritime industry, marked the culmination of Seattle's annual Maritime Festival.