NEAH BAY — The state Department of Ecology will conduct an oil spill drill near the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca this morning.
The drill will test how well Harley Marine Services of Seattle can mount a simulated 34,000-gallon oil spill near Neah Bay, said Curt Hart, Ecology spokesman.
No oil will be discharged during the large-scale equipment deployment exercise. Representatives of Ecology will observe and evaluate the drill in the Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
Boats will leave Neah Bay at first light, and the drill will begin sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., Hart said.
The drill is designed to test several geographic-based response plans designed to help reduce environmental damage if a spill were to occur. This includes setting out boom to help prevent oil from entering the Waatch River.
Harley Marine is sponsoring the multi-party oil-spill-readiness drill with its contractor, Marine Spill Response Corp., or MSRC.
MSRC is a private, nonprofit spill-response company supported by oil terminal and shipping company customers.
Four oil tanker companies also will be involved in the exercise. They are Alaska Tanker Co., BP Shipping, ConocoPhillips Polar Tankers and SeaRiver Maritime.
Local commercial fishing vessels and crews also will be integrated into the response as appropriate and safe, Hart said.
MSRC will deploy oil-skimming vessels, response boats and oil barrier booms.
Since state law requires companies have the capability to extend the hours of oil cleanup operations in darkness and poor visibility, MSRC also will deploy special tracking devices in the vicinity of the spill to help determine how and where oil is located when visibility is low.
State law
State law mandates that all oil tankers and oil barges, large commercial vessels, oil refineries, liquid fuel pipelines and oil-handling facilities that transfer high volumes of oil over water have spill readiness, or contingency, plans to operate in state waters.
Oil spill contingency plans help ensure companies are prepared to respond if they have a spill.
Since Harley Marine, Alaska Tanker Co., BP Shipping, ConocoPhillips Polar Tankers and SeaRiver Maritime all regularly transport and transfer large volumes of oil over state waters, Ecology requires the companies have spill contingency plans for their operations.
By participating in the drill, the five companies will fulfill part of Washington’s oil spill preparedness requirements.