Coast Guard Conducts MI Spill Drill

U.S. Coast Guard January 26, 2012

USCG crewmembers used an oil-skimming device to recover peat moss, acting as a substitute for spilled oil, near Mackinac Island.

Coast Guard, Response Agencies deploy equipment for oil-recovery training in Michigan waters.

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, oil spill response organizations, Enbridge Energy Partners and several other agencies this week participated in a unique exercise out of St. Ignace, Mich., Monday through Wednesday, during which several techniques for recovering spilled oil and other hazardous materials from icy waterways were tested and evaluated. Four vessels participated in a project that demonstrates capabilities for removing spilled oil from an icy environment. Personnel from the Coast Guard's Research and Development Center, in New London, Conn., along with other agency partners, tested and evaluated methods for removing spilled oil from an icy environment. Notably, the crew of the USCG Hollyhock participated in the project led by the Coast Guard's Research and Development Center, showcasing techniques for removing spilled oil from a frozen environment. In one part of the drill, crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock, homeported in Port Huron, Mich., used an oil-skimming device to recover peat moss, acting as a substitute for spilled oil, near Mackinac Island.