APRIL 21, 2017--On April 12-13, an exercise was held at the Seattle waterfront simulating a vessel collision at sea, resulting in the discharge of 80,000 barrels/3,360,000 gallons of Alaska North Slope crude oil approximately 10 nautical miles WNW of Cape Flattery, WA.

An incident command post was established, and approximately 250 personnel participated in the response, including two Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary employees and eight OR&R staff. The exercise was led by U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and Sea River Maritime with USCG Sector Puget Sound Commander and Sea River Maritime president in attendance.

Cape Flattery is the northwestern most point of land in the contiguous Lower 48 states and an extremely remote and diverse area, with land and sea jurisdictions bordered by Canada, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary waters, National Park Service lands, and the Makah Tribe. It is the western entrance to the Straits of Juan de Fuca and commencement of all shipping traffic heading to major west coast ports in Canada and Washington State, including five oil refineries in Washington and one in Canada.

The NOAA Northwest Region Scientific Support Coordinator, based in Seattle in OR&R’s Emergency Response Division, served as a member of the drill design team in the months leading up to the exercise, along with representatives from Sea River Maritime, USCG, Washington State Department of Ecology, Witt O’Briens, The Response Group, and the Marine Spill Response Corporation. The complexity of the exercise and remote geographic location thoroughly tested all facets of the response and the Northwest Area Committee Plan which guides responses to real and simulated pollutant releases in WA, OR, and ID.

For further information, contact Jesse.stark@noaa.gov.

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