US Coast Guard Time Line
Trustee Time Line
Historic Preservation Act Time Line
11/30/17: MV CHIEF sinks at its mooring, discharging oil in Seattle, WA
Phase One: Response and Mitigation
3/6/18: Owner oil removal & mitigation unsatisfactory: USCG assumes mitigation and response.
Phase Two: Trustee Engagement
Phase 3: Resolution and Historic Preservation Act
November 30, 2017
January 2020
11/5 – 11/30 2018: Final destruction and disposal of vessel complete.
4/18: GDS conducts survey and sampling of interior spaces, confirms that interior is entirely coated in thick oil and wood is saturated in oil.
Black oil discharges during raising, saturating entire vessel. The oil was most likely discharged and trapped during initial sinking
1/19/18: Owner funds salvage, refloat, and temporarily repairs the vessel
March-October: USCG ongoing pollution mitigation $2500 - $3500 / month
ABSTRACT
After heavy rain in November of 2017 a 71-foot recreational tugboat, Chief, sank in its slip near the Ballard Locks in the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Fifty days after she went down, the owner of the historic (1929) wooden hulled vessel re-floated her. While submerged she was estimated to have released over 100 gallons of lube oil and #2 diesel into the waterway. With positive buoyancy restored, the United States Coast Guard removed more than 1000 gallons of mixed oils from the tug. Despite the owner’s intense cleaning efforts, the wooden planks remained saturated with oily residue. On average, 40 gallons of oil-water mixture were pumped from the leaking vessel each day; without constant monitoring and maintenance, Chief would not have remained afloat. While the Lake Washington Ship Canal is an important commercial and industrial waterway, it is also habitat to seabirds, marine mammals, and several threatened species of fish (Native Char, Chinook salmon, Steelhead trout). Protecting these species and their habitats is vitally important to the health of Puget Sound and adjoining waters. After consultation with Washington State’s Department of Ecology, NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration, and other trustees, the United States Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound facilitated the complete removal (and ultimate destruction) of the tug Chief from the water. Merely removing the liquid oils and leaving a contaminated vessel in place would have posed a significant future risk of incident. This precedent setting US Coast Guard response not only eliminated an active source of pollution, but also proactively prevented future contamination of the marine environment.
TAKEAWAY MESSAGES
For more info please contact Chrystin McLelland at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrystinmclelland/
12/17: GDS salvage divers sting tanks and remove 1000+ gallons of oily water, position of vessel limits 100% oil removal from tanks and holds.
2/5/18: Owners plan to mitigate discharge accepted, all ADMIN orders lifted.
2/16/18: New ADMIN order issued as vessel continues to discharge oil. Trustee notification begins for potential long-term impact and mitigation.
3/6/18: CG assumed response, engaged trustees on long term planning.
3/18: Owner failed to meet financial obligations with hire contractors for mitigation, who stopped all mitigation and disposal efforts.
2/18: Begin process to determine if vessel is eligible for consideration under the Historic Preservation Act.
3/18: MV CHIEF determined to be a Historic Vessel and the Historic Preservation Act Applicable
2006: Last known photo of MV CHIEF in operation.
4/6/18: Operations with MV CHIEF determined to fall under “emergency response” portion of Historic Preservation Act.
5/18: Trustee concurrence on CG proposal for destruction and removal of MV CHIEF.
5/18: CG submits request for destruction and removal authorization to COMDT.
12/19: Post-Emergency activity summary of action under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for MV CHIEF submitted.
12/17 – 1/18: MV CHIEF continues to discharge oil with persistent sheening in highly visible waterway while awaiting availability of crane and facility operations to lift and remove.
1/18 – 3/19: MV CHIEF collects rainwater and continues to flood from leaks below the waterline at a rate of one barrel of water per day. All water is heavily oiled.
Further investigation revealed that the interior of the vessel is completely oil contaminated, and the saturated and rotten wooden deck & hull of the vessel is causing a persistent sheen.
MV CHIEF: The Destruction and Removal of a Historic Vessel
From the initial response, there were conflicting desires between the owner, environmental protection and SHPO.