PORT ANGELES — What to do if one of those oil tankers that frequently traverse the Strait of Juan de Fuca accidentally unleashes a 10,000-gallon oil spill?
A study released Wednesday by the state Department of Ecology tackles that ominous scenario using the premise that the current fleet of mostly contracted spill responders could use a little help.
Three of those response vessels are stationed in Neah Bay, Clallam Bay and Port Angeles.
The study, performed by The Glosten Associates, concluded that one way to improve oil-spill preparedness in state waterways is by increasing spill-response training for commercial fishing vessels and crews, especially during winter months when spills are more common and more fishing boats are available.
When looking at dozens of significant oil spills in the state from 1986 to 2004, the study’s lead author, Paul Smith, found no reports of response vessel shortfalls.
However, “only rarely were fishing vessels used to augment any response efforts,” the report said.
That is markedly different from Alaska and British Columbia, where there exist formal programs for recruiting, training and managing private fishing boats to respond to big spills.
Pressure on industry
On Wednesday, Jay Manning, Department of Ecology director, used the report’s findings to publicly pressure private industry to do more to prepare for a major oil spill.
“With as much shipping and tanker traffic as we have in Washington’s waters, a significant oil spill is a very real threat,” Manning said in a statement.
“We have to be able to stage a rapid and aggressive response effort.”
Manning said the report’s findings are timely, since the Department of Ecology is revising spill-response requirements that all ships and oil-handling facilities in the state must follow.
Those new requirements will be approved next year.