Oil Spill Soils South Sound
Mystery ship sought; state response time criticized
TACOMA -- At dawn today, dozens of emergency workers will resume efforts to contain an oil slick that has already fouled 15 miles of beach on Vashon and Maury islands.
As workers tried unsuccessfully to stem the spread of the oil last night, investigators worked feverishly to home in on the mystery vessel responsible for the spill -- and state officials faced a rising tide of questions about why it took more than nine hours to begin cleanup operations.
The spill, first reported at 1:15 a.m. yesterday between Vashon and Tacoma's Commencement Bay, polluted an area that is home to one of the largest herring populations in Puget Sound and the wintering grounds for Western grebes, a seabird whose numbers have plummeted locally.
While many questions surrounding the spill remained, some environmentalists and residents were certain of one thing: Spill-response officials moved too slowly.
About nine hours after a tugboat captain reported the spill, the first oil-removing skimmer reached the scene, according to state and federal officials.
"The more I learn about it, the more I'm upset about the time that lapsed between the notice of the spill and getting the oil cleanup equipment on scene," said Kathy Fletcher, executive director of People for Puget Sound, an environmental organization.
This morning, a helicopter will be in the air surveying the spill of heavy-grade industrial oil. Specially trained crews will be helping rescue oiled marine birds and 10 skimmers will be back on the waters, state Department of Ecology spokesman Larry Altose said last night.
Investigators are focusing their search for the guilty party on several vessels headed north out of Tacoma toward Alaska, a U.S. Coast Guard investigator said. About a half-dozen vessels originally were scrutinized.
Late last night, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer learned that one of the ships in the area around the time of the spill has a lengthy record of involvement in oil-spill investigations.
The Horizon Tacoma, a 679-foot freighter, left Tacoma at 11 p.m. Wednesday headed for Anchorage, records from Marine Exchange of Puget Sound show.
"We have checked with the captain and the crew of the ship who have assured us they were not involved in any spill. And that's a fact," said Marv Buchanan, director of marketing for the Alaska division of Horizon Lines.
He said the captain checked the ship for leaks and other signs of spills and found none.
"We run these ships back and forth to Alaska. We have been doing it very safely for a long time," he said.
Coast Guard records show that the ship has been investigated seven times regarding possible oil discharges since it went into service in 1987.
Coast Guard Lt. Aaron Meadows-Hills said the agency cannot release the names of the vessels where samples will be taken because that is part of the investigation.
"I'm just really interested to find out how this happened," Vashon resident Melissa Burr said as she surveyed the damage at the ferry dock at the island's south end.
"I'm pretty awestruck that it's happened," she said. "I'm disgusted."
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
Spill soils South Sound
