Escort tugs should see
tankers through Strait
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The U.S. Department of Transportation ought to act on a prudent recommendation from the
state Department of Ecology to require escort tugs for oil tankers entering the Strait of
Juan de Fuca. It's a wise investment in oil spill protection. A two-tug escort for tankers has keen required from Port Angeles inbound to Puget Sound. That requirement came in the wake of the disastrous 1988 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound -- and now also requires a two-tug escort for tankers. So supporters of tug escorts for the Strait of Juan de Fuca ask a good question: If a two-tug escort is important protection for Puget Sound and Prince William Sound, why isn't it a good idea for the Strait of Juan de Fuca? After all, 500 to 600 oil tankers enter the strait each year, as do 5,000 cargo vessels and fishing vessels. Their paths converge as they enter the strait, often during bad weather. The state Department of Ecology recommendation would have the Department of Transportation require two tugs escorting tankers from Neah Bay to Port Angeles. |
Uncle Sam so far has refused to station a tug at Neah Bay that could respond to
emergencies in the outer strait. The oil and shipping industries are not keen on the
expense of providing tug protection. Instead they've lobbied to establish a so-called
"tug of opportunity" system that is supposed to track 100 tugs that could be
summoned in case of an accident. But in the worst-case scenario. it could take 12 hours for a tug to reach the scene in the outer strait near Neah Bay. according to Joe Stohr, manager of the State Department of Ecology office of oil spill prevention. That's clearly leaving far too much margin for error. "We're not comfortable with the status at the entrance" to the strait. Stohr said, speaking for the state of Washington. The U.S. Department of Transportation shouldn't be comfortable with it, either. |