NOAA Installs System to Improve Safety & Efficiency
Ship captains and pleasure boaters can now get free real-time information on water and weather conditions for Cherry Point, Wash., from a newly installed NOAA ocean observing system that makes piloting a ship safer and more efficient. The NOAA Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) at Cherry Point provides observations of tides, currents, water and air temperature, barometric pressure and winds. Collected from a variety of sensors in and around the port, the data is available online and by phone: 888-817-7794 (toll-free).
Unannounced Spill Drills Exceed Expectations
Four oil-handling facilities in Washington had unannounced spill drills sprung on them last week by the state Department of Ecology and all four passed. The four facilities that participated in the simultaneous drills were the BP Cherry Point Refinery in Ferndale, Shore Terminal in Tacoma, Tesoro Terminal in Port Angeles and ConocoPhillips-Yellowstone Pipeline in Spokane. Beginning around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 9, staff from Ecology, the U.S. Coast Guard and the federal Environmental Protection Agency arrived at the facilities and presented scenarios that called for the companies to notify appropriate officials, organize a command center, and assess what type of spill response was needed to protect the public, the environment and workers.
