I think this would have been an amazing experience. The winds were howling here at my home in Port Townsend, at least 40 MPH, and I’m sure higher in the Straits.
—————————–State-funded tug protects coast during overnight response
10/4 Ecology news release on tug assist at Strait of Juan de Fuca
OLYMPIA – The state-funded emergency tug responded overnight to a 100-foot fishing vessel that ran aground near Neah Bay.
The tug Hunter arrived on scene to assist the Misty Dawn which grounded itself at Baada Point near the southern entrance to Neah Bay. The Hunter checked the area but didn’t detect any fuel spilled to the water.
After the Misty Dawn crew verified its vessel’s steel hull was still intact and transferred fuel to other tanks to minimize any risk of a spill, the Hunter crew used a line to help pull the boat back into deeper waters. The Misty Dawn returned to port in Neah Bay after the incident.
The Misty Dawn had the potential to carry 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel although it is unclear exactly how much was onboard at the time of the grounding.
The Washington Department of Ecology received calls shortly after midnight Oct. 4 and coordinated response with the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard issued a captain-of-the-port order requiring the Misty Dawn prove its seaworthiness before it can leave the port.
A tug is now stationed at Neah Bay year-round to respond to incidents that pose a pollution threat to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Washington’s outer coast. Crowley Maritime holds the emergency response tug contract through June 2010.
In March, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill passed by the state legislature to require the maritime industry to fund a tug year-round at Neah Bay for situations like these. Previously, the state paid for a tug to be stationed there during in the winter months only.
This is the 43rd time a state-funded tug has been called out to a vessel in distress.
Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Puget Sound, Rescue Tug |
