The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship Port Botany came in, went out and came in again, all because of a little green crustacean.
The 551-foot log ship moored to the Port of Port Angeles’ T-pier last week to take on a load of debarked logs bound for China that were harvested from Merrill & Ring’s land holdings.
The loading process was interrupted Tuesday when the ship had to leave port at 7 p.m. and head 50 miles out to sea to discharge her ballast tanks.
A test of the ship’s ballast water conducted earlier in the day by a representative of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife determined that it contained an invasive species of crab identified by the state as one of the top 12 aquatic animals posing the greatest risk to the Puget Sound marine environment.
The invasive species was identified as the European green crab, a littoral crab that is indigenous to the northeast Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea.
The menacing little creature that lives in protected coastal waters and estuaries feeds on clams, oysters and mussels as well as numerous other organisms.
The green crab is a potential competitor for the food sources of native fish and bird species, including Dungeness crab.
As a ship loads or unloads cargo and burns off her fuel, she becomes lighter or heavier and consequently floats lower or higher in the water.
To stabilize her, ballast must be taken onboard. This is necessary for the safety of the ship and is especially important as ships enter into port.
The water used as ballast is pumped into large holding tanks on the ship from a port harbor or the ocean during travel. Ships may need to take on additional ballast water to move under bridges or discharge ballast water to allow the ship’s keel to clear a shallow channel.
Ballast water always contains a variety of biological organisms that can include animals, plants and pathogens.
After ballast water is taken onboard, the ship moves on to the next port. As new cargo is added, ballast water must be discharged to decrease the weight of the ship.
As the ballast water is released, so are the organisms. The result is the introduction of these species into a new environment.
If the organisms survive, they can cause major ecological and economic damage to the ecosystem.
With the continuing expansion of international trade, the potential for the introduction of new species increases.
The Coast Guard enforces mandatory ballast water regulations in U.S. waters in an effort to reduce species introductions. Management practices include open-ocean ballast water exchange, shipboard treatment of ballast water using chemical or physical methods and onshore water treatment facilities.
Port Botany returned to port Thursday morning after disgorging her ballast tanks of approximately 900 tons of ballast water that she apparently picked up in her last port of call, San Francisco.
Since the green crab is a native of Europe, it appears the City by the Bay has an outside invader.
In for a fix-up
Platypus Marine Inc. hauled out Feisty Lady last week and has her stowed in the large aquamarine structure on Port Angeles’ Marine Drive known as the Commander Building.
Capt. Charlie Crane, director of sales and marketing, said this is the second time in less than a year that the 50-foot Nordhavn yacht has been entrusted to Platypus’ tradesmen for maintenance and equipment upgrades.
Personnel are installing new bearings and bushings in her stabilizers, pulling routine maintenance on her main engine, bow thruster and keel cooler as well as installing new zincs and applying a new coat of bottom paint.
Platypus also hauled out Marlins II, an 84-foot Jemison Marine-built commercial fishing boat that hails from Westport on Grays Harbor.
New shaft bearings are in her immediate future as are a new set of zincs and a fresh coat of bottom paint.
Explorer IV is also sitting in the Commander Building and will be there for the better part of two weeks.
She is a 60-foot Malahide Trawler that is owned by Craig Hougen, who lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory.
Craig purchased the boat about four years ago from Richard Friedman of Bellingham, who used the boat for a number of years to take guests on fishing excursions in southeast Alaska.
The trawler is a beautiful vessel, built for cruising in any waters — bar none.
The hull and most of the engineering components of Explorer IV were built and installed in 1976 in Hemnesberget, Norway.
Her first voyage was to the Malahide Shipyard in Dublin, Ireland, where her interior was completed and she was subsequently christened.
In 1988, Explorer IV won the silver cup as the best powerboat of the show at the prestigious Newport Wooden Boat Show in Rhode Island. She appeared on the covers of both PassageMaker and Ocean Navigator magazines, the latter publication describing her as “ a yacht which may embody the dreams of every long-range power voyager.”
For those of you who would like to read more about Malahide Trawlers, I encourage you to visit www.classictrawlers.net/malahide.
Tanker leaves port
Polar Endeavour left the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal One North on Thursday afternoon and headed for Valdez, Alaska, for another load of crude oil.
The 854-foot, double-hull tanker has been in port for about 10 days having her rudders inspected and any needed repairs completed.
I understand that her sister ship, Polar Discovery, is currently in Singapore and that among other things, she is having new rudders installed.
Eventually, all of the Endeavour Class tankers will receive new rudders.
Fueling in the harbor
Tesoro on Monday provided bunkers to Port Botany, the log ship that had to go.
On Thursday, Tesoro refueled Polar Endeavour just prior to her departure to Prince William Sound, Alaska.
The company also bunkered the Liberian-flagged E.R. Bergamo, a 616-foot cargo ship designed to carry coal, iron ore and grain.
Today, Tesoro will refuel Overseas Boston and Overseas Long Beach, both of which are petroleum-product carriers flagged out of Wilmington, Del., and are 600 feet long.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the waterfronts.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.