140' Derelict Vessel "Deep Sea" Refloated in Penn Cove

Like a Phoenix rising, the 140' derelict vessel "Deep Sea" which sank last month in Penn Cove has been brought back to the surface of Puget Sound. As seen in the picture below, the DB General (left) provided the primary lifting, with the cradle suspending the stern and middle. The smaller DB Oakland (right) provided assistance at the bow.  It is scheduled to be towed back to Seattle where it came from this week.

Deep Sea Suspended by Lifting Cranes

Still Discharging Oil

(photo from Department of Ecology)

(click here for additional photos)

Clearly seen in the picture above, oil continues to be discharged into Penn Cove.  Today (Monday)  winds are forecast from the north-northwest with gusts up to 12mhp, putting the mussel farm operated by Penn Cove Mussels at continued risk of contamination.  Tonight and tomorrow the winds are forecast to be from the southwest, pushing the oil away from the farm. (Click here to see a picture looking to the northwest from the shoreline.) The Department of Health will test the mussels in a laboratory and by "taste testing" to determine if harvesting may be resumed.

To date near 5,000 gallons of oil has leaked or been pumped from from the vessel.  Declared a derelict vessel last year, the Port of Seattle became the lead agency responsible for its disposal after it took ownership. After an unsuccessful auction it was advertised on Craigslist and purchased for $2,500 by Rory Westmoreland, a scrap dealer from the Maple Valley area (read a Seattle Times article on Mr. Westmoreland here).  Mr. Westmoreland towed it to Penn Cove where the Coast Guard, in January, reported there to be perhaps 50 to 100 gallons of oil on board with minimal risk of its sinking (read KUOW article on the January 2012 Coast Guard inspection here).  DNR attempted to have Mr. Westmoreland remove the vessel, but with little ability to enforce current regulations, it sat until it mysteriously caught fire. After it caught fire, PVC through-hull fittings apparently melted allowing water into the vessel and its subsequent sinking, after which it was discovered there was far more oil on board.

It's hoped this environmental disaster will not be viewed as a "one time event" with nothing done to improve oversight and disposal of derelict vessels in Puget Sound. Waiting to take possession of the Deep Sea, as seen in this video, should make everyone realize there is a better way.  On a larger scale, regulations with no ability to enforce them mean little, as Mr. Westmoreland has apparently learned. 

DNR Finally Taking Possession of Deep Sea