U.S. container ship gets emergency tow

The state funded emergency response tug stationed in Neah Bay, WA received orders to assist the disabled U.S. container ship, Horizon Tacoma after the ship shut down their engines due to smoke coming from the engine’s turbocharger while transiting the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The ship is operated by Horizon Lines.

Here is the story via the Washington State Department of Ecology -

OLYMPIA – The Hunter, the state-funded emergency response tug stationed at Neah Bay, is towing a containership, the Horizon Tacoma, to Tacoma today after responding to a call for assistance late last night.

The Hunter, another escort tug Garth Foss, and the disabled ship Horizon Tacoma are expected to pass west of Seattle by mid-afternoon.

The 712-foot container vessel requested the Hunter’s assistance Tuesday at about 10:30 p.m. after it reported to the U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service that the ship experienced engine problems and elected to shut down its main engine a few miles north of Neah Bay. The container ship had full use of its thrusters and directional navigation, and called for tug assistance as a precautionary measure.

The Hunter rapidly got underway and arrived at the ship in less than 30 minutes and connected a tow line to the Horizon Tacoma.

The M/V Horizon Tacoma being towed southward off Seattle by the emergency response tug, Crowley Hunter, on the bow and the Garth Foss tug at the stern. (Fred Felleman)

Horizon Lines, which owns the containership, promptly notified the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Seattle of the incident and requested permission to proceed under tow directly to its Port of Tacoma destination, and contacted the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) for assistance.

Ecology Spill Prevention Manager Chip Boothe said “the department appreciates Horizon Lines honoring their own commitment as a domestic transportation leader to ensure the safety and health of its associates and the public.”

Suzanne Englebert, Coast Guard Captain of the Port, Puget Sound, directed the Horizon Tacoma to engage a second assist tug. The tug Garth Foss met the vessels at Port Angeles this morning and is escorting the Hunter and its tow, the Horizon Tacoma.

The Horizon Tacoma was inbound from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and about three miles offshore just off of Neah Bay when the crew noticed smoke coming from one of two turbochargers on the ship’s propulsion engine. To prevent engine damage, the ship’s engineer recommended that the captain shut down the engine.

A repair crew boarded the Horizon Tacoma at Port Angeles this morning at 7 a.m. to evaluate the damage and assist the ship’s crew in making repairs.

The Horizon Tacoma is expected to arrive in Tacoma sometime this evening, depending on currents and weather conditions.

The tug Hunter is stationed at Neah Bay under a contract between its owner, Crowley Maritime Corp., and Ecology. Because the tow to Tacoma will engage the Hunter for many hours, Ecology and Crowley have arranged for another Crowley tug, the Valor, to stand by at Neah Bay in place of the Hunter.

An emergency response tug is stationed at Neah Bay year-round to respond to shipping incidents that pose a pollution threat to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Washington’s outer coast. Crowley Maritime holds the emergency response tug contract through June 30, 2010. Funding responsibility for the Neah Bay tug will shift from the state to the maritime industry beginning July 1, 2010.

Since 1999, a publicly-funded Neah Bay response tug has stood by or assisted 44 vessels, either completely disabled or with reduced maneuvering ability. During 11 of the responses, the tug attached a towline to the disabled vessel and brought it under tow as a safety precaution.

For more on the Emergency Response Tug program based out of Neah Bay, go here.