Arctic-bound Drill Rigs Shadowed by Greenpeace
The Greenpeace ship Esperanza, with a rainbow painted on its bow, was seen anchored off Manchester then conducted training exercises as its crew prepares to "shadow" two Shell oil rigs headed to Alaska, reports the 'Kitsap Sun'. Several South Kitsap residents reported seeing the 237-foot ship moored near Blake Island, and some people said they spotted what looked like a small submarine operating in the area. Joe Smyth, Greenpeace spokesman in Washington, D.C. confirmed that the ship is being prepared to travel to the Chukchi Sea, keeping a distance from the oil-drilling vessels Noble Discoverer, a drillship, and the Kulluk platform. Smyth said the goal is for the Esperanza to stay near the drill sites with science and activist observers on board.
Safe Boats Compete for USCG Contract
According to a report from the Kitsap Sun, the U.S. Coast Guard has chosen Safe Boats International and three other companies to build sample boats that could lead to a contract award for the winner that could be worth between $17m and $20m. Safe Boats is based in the Olympic View Industrial Park. Source: Kitsap Sun
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)
