Hammer puts a hole in ferry's rusty hull
By Scott North
Herald Writer
http://www.heraldnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080204/NEWS01/238526630/-
1/rss02&template=printart
SEATTLE -- When the ferry Hiyu went into an area shipyard for maintenance and repairs
in December, engineering crews knew the hull of the 41-year-old boat likely would need
work.
They weren't prepared for the corrosion they found.
A state worker rapping with his hammer punched a hole through a rusted area on the steel
hull, ferry officials said last week.
"It was troubling. We found more than we knew about or expected to see," said Tim
Browning, senior port engineer in charge of vessel preservation for the ferry system.
"There is a significant amount of steel that was bad."
The state now expects to spend about $500,000, and at least another month, making
repairs before the vessel can be safely returned to service.
Problems similar to the Hiyu's are turning up elsewhere in the fleet. That's prompting
state lawmakers and others to scrutinize how ferry workers go about the dirty drudgery of
crawling about in bilges looking for scaling paint and signs of rust.
Making certain the state's ferries are being adequately maintained and preserved is a key
goal of a systemwide overhaul ordered by state Transportation Secretary Paula
Hammond.
She also has made a priority out of paying for that necessary work at a time of tighter
budgets and increased demands, said Steve Reinmuth, Hammond's chief of staff and
acting director of the ferry system.
"For years we've been faced with maintenance and preservation needs and haven't had the
money to fund them," Reinmuth told the state Senate Transportation Committee on
Thursday.
The Hiyu for years hadn't been high on the ferry system's list for maintenance and
preservation. The open-decked ferry, capable of carrying just 34 cars, was considered to
be too small for most runs. It spent much of the last decade in deep reserve, tied up to a
dock, going nowhere.
That changed in June when problems on other aging ferries in the state's fleet pressed the
Hiyu back into carrying people, cars and freight between communities in the San Juan
Islands.
Questions about the integrity of ferry hulls have been building for months, especially
since November, when Hammond ordered the 80-year-old Steel Electric-class vessels out
of service. Deep inspection on the Quinault found cracks and corrosion had rendered 45
percent of the hull in need of immediate replacement. Similar expensive problems were
suspected on the ferry's sister ships, the Klickitat, Illahee and Nisqually. Hammond
ordered all of the Steel Electrics retired.
The Coast Guard now is demanding stepped-up inspection and maintenance on the rest of
the ferry fleet. Four of the oldest ferries still in service are under orders to receive
emergency hull repairs by April. Another five boats are scheduled for dry dock
examinations. The unprecedented repair work already has touched off service disruptions,
and more are expected in the coming months.
Lawmakers are getting hammered with complaints from communities that either have
lost their ferries or are making do with less.
Tempers are boiling.
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, who heads the senate Transportation
Committee, blasted ferry officials Thursday during a hearing in Olympia.
Recent events have left her with a "real dim view" of experts from the state and Coast
Guard, who for years had assured her the fleet was safe.
It is clear, Haugen added, that ferry crews have been making do, keeping old boats on the
water well past their prime. But "you are making do with people's lives," she said.
The problems have left lawmakers skeptical about the ferry system, Haugen told
Reinmuth.
"You have got to gain our trust again because some of us have some real concerns," she
said. "I'm looking forward to the future, but I've got to tell you that I have a bad taste in
my mouth from the past."
State engineers are embracing advice from the Cedar River Group, the consultants state
lawmakers hired last year to conduct a detailed review of the ferry system.
At least on paper, the state plans to use each of its ferries for 60 years. That's a longer life
cycle than embraced by other ferry systems, the military and commercial shippers, said
Kathy Scanlan, one of the managing partners of the Cedar River Group.
The age of the fleet requires the ferry system to step up its programs for inspecting and
preserving the hulls, Scanlan told lawmakers last week. Greater attention must be paid to
maintaining the protective coating inside the hulls, particularly in bilges where water can
collect, she said. The ferry system also needs to make greater use of special equipment to
gauge the thickness of hull steel between dry dock repairs, the consultant added.
Ferry crews already are putting those ideas into practice, said Paul Brodeur, director of
vessel maintenance and preservation for the ferry system. As part of recent repair work
under way on the Hyak, the crews took on the difficult task of painting inside engine
rooms and bilges.
"This is a priority given recent events (with) the Steel Electrics, knowing that as these
boats age, they can rot from the inside out," Brodeur said.
If there is a bright spot in the discovery of new problems, it is that they appear to be more
localized than was the case on the Quinault. For example, on the Hiyu, about 10 percent
of the hull was corroded and in need of repair, Browning said. Part of that problem was
traced to an undetected leak in the engine cooling system, not the ravages of saltwater.
Cedar River Group also has advised the ferry system to abandon its strategy of raising
money to build new boats by cutting back on preservation for older vessels still in
service.
Reinmuth said the ferry system looks forward to working with lawmakers in deciding
how to pay for the work that must be done to keep the fleet afloat.
"The need is clearly there," he said.
Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.
Keystone route to keep state passenger ferry
Sen. Haugen tells WSF to keep Snohomish in operation until car ferry service begins
By Kasia Pierzga
for The Whidbey Examiner
COUPEVILLE, Washington (STPNS) -- Concern that a small whale-watching boat was
about to be put back on the Keystone - Port Townsend ferry route, Sen. Mary Margaret
Haugen, D-Camano Island, has demanded that Washington State Ferries find another
option.
“That whale-watching boat was completely inadequate for passenger service on the
Keystone run in the first place,” Haugen said in a Feb. 1 press release. “The minute I
heard they were going to move the Snohomish out and put a tourist boat back, I called
and told them that was a no-go.”
Haugen’s call came after she read a newspaper story about Washington State Ferries’
decision to move the Snohomish to Bremerton to make room for the Steilacoom II car
ferry, which will begin trial runs on the route before going into service later this month.
With the retired Steel Electric ferry Klickitat still tied up in Port Townsend, dock space is
limited and WSF said they needed to resume using a smaller passenger-only boat because
they no longer had a docking berth for the Snohomish.
The Klickitat has remained docked in Port Townsend to provide the ferry crew with
overnight sleeping quarters. Instead of sleeping on the Klickitat, the crew will be staying
in hotels in Port Townsend.
“It’s frustrating that a state senator has to call up the WSDOT chief of staff to tell them to
find someplace better to dock a disabled vessel,” Haugen said in the release. “But if that’s
what I have to do to fight for the people of the communities that rely on regular ferry
service, then I’m glad to do it.”
Chamber played a role
Sarah Richards, president of the Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce, said she
believes the Chamber’s efforts to reinstate consistent, reliable car ferry service on the
Keystone-Port Townsend route are paying off. The group had criticized the WSF
decision to remove the passenger ferry Snohomish from the Keystone route and replace it
with a small, private whale-watching boat.
“They are finally listening to their constituents,” she said. “I think it was really important
to speak out consistently.”
Representatives of the Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce, the Coupeville Historic
Waterfront Association and the Freeland Chamber of Commerce met with Haugen and
other District 10 legislators in January to talk about the ferry crisis. During the visit to
Olympia, the group also met with state Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond.
The group also is working with Port Townsend city officials and the Port Townsend
Chamber of Commerce to coordinate their lobbying efforts on the ferry issue.
At Haugen’s insistence, WSF will move the Klickitat to another location so that the
Snohomish can continue to provide passenger-only service until the Steilacoom II begins
operating.
Haugen said she has been surprised to learn that some ferry commuters and members of
the Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce were aware that there was a good chance
that the Snohomish would be removed from the Keystone route to make room for the
Steilacoom II. She said that if she had known sooner, she might have been able to prevent
it from happening.
“I can make a difference,” she said. “But it’s hard if the people who are hearing things on
the docks don’t call to tell me.”
She said she had also been caught off guard by the level of concern expressed by Central
Whidbey business owners when WSF removed the Snohomish from the Keystone route
during December and established a new, temporary shopping ferry link between Seattle
and Port Townsend.
She said she had been under the impression that local businesses didn’t think the ferry
had that much impact on the Central Whidbey economy.
She said that Coupeville area businesses have long been missing out on an opportunity to
take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of ferry travelers that drive past the town on
their way to the ferry. She said Coupeville should do a better job of marketing itself, and
one step in that direction would be signs along Hwy. 20 to lure visitors to Front Street.
“You’ve got to start telling people to stop in Coupeville when they drive by,” she said.
“You’ve got to market yourself.”
Plans for new ferries
Local business owners who have been active on the ferry issue have been concerned that
WSF may move ahead with plans to build three small ferries based on the Steilacoom II
design, which has been criticized as unsuitable for crossing Admiralty Inlet during rough
weather. Haugen said she is aware of that concern, and wants to hear what criteria is used
by US Coast Guard and WSF officials to determine whether the boat can handle the
crossing.
“I need clearly defined definition on how they determine how this boat will work,” she
said.
WSF will be evaluating the performance of the Steilacoom II for the next 14 months
while the vessel provides car ferry service on the route. The vessel, which is being rented
from Pierce County, was designed to be used on the calmer waters of South Puget Sound.
Haugen said the true test of the boat will be its performance in high winds and big waves.
“They need to have some bad weather so they can test it,” she said.
Haugen said Gov. Chris Gregoire’s plan to build the three small ferries isn’t a bad idea.
“Three smaller boats will move people and cars a lot faster than two bigger ones,” she
said.
If the bill is signed into law, Freeland-based Nichols Brothers shipyard is expected to be
part of a consortium of three Washington shipyards that will work together to build the
first ferry, and possibly future ferries as well.
Nichols Brothers, which had declared bankruptcy in 2007, announced this week that it
will be sold to Texas-based Ice Floe.
Matt Nichols said the new owner expects to invest in new equipment, and will keep the
company’s current workforce intact. The shipyard also is expected to add more
employees as it ramps up to complete planned projects.
Haugen said the governor’s ferry bill has been moved out of the Senate Transportation
Committee, and could be approved by the Senate during the first week of February. If the
bill also meets approval in the House, it could be signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire by mid-
February. Once the legislation is passed, WSF can move ahead with plans to build at least
one boat based on the Steilacoom II design.
Haugen said she also expects a new director for Washingon State Ferries will be named
within the next few weeks.
“We can’t get a new ferry director any too soon,” she said.
|
Guidelines for season's salmon fishing to be set
By Mark Yuasa
Seattle Times staff reporter
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-
bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=2004160999&zsection_id=2002990521&slug=outn03&d
ate=20080203
The salmon season setting process is coming into view, and details on the Columbia
River spring chinook fisheries, the pilot run of migrating salmon, will be known soon.
The Washington commission was to meet Saturday to decide allocation guidelines for
spring chinook, and the Oregon commission will meet Friday to make its decision.
The Oregon state Fish and Wildlife staff has already proposed that its commission allow
sport fishing from the Interstate 5 Bridge up to Bonneville Dam six days a week through
April 30; allow fishing from Bonneville to McNary Dam daily March 16-May 10;
constrain commercial fishing to the area from I-5 Bridge up to Beacon Rock; open
commercial select area fisheries mid-February to mid-June; and allow daily sport fishing
in the Willamette River.
Early indications are the Columbia River spring chinook return could be a dandy, but
after three consecutive years of bad predictions, most in the know are being cautious of
what will happen.
The forecast calls for a large return of 269,300 upriver spring chinook, compared with the
86,230 last year (78,500 was the 2007 forecast).
However, the Willamette spring chinook forecast is 34,000 [40,468 last year] and appears
to be a poor one.
Tributaries above Bonneville Dam will likely see a big jump in sport catches this spring.
The Little White Salmon River [Drano Lake] forecasted return of 36,800 looks like it will
smash the current record of 20,000 fish set in 2002. The Wind River return is also
expected to be strong.
Washington and Oregon officials will finalize the spring chinook seasons Feb. 15.
The North of Falcon meeting dates have been released, and expectations in Washington's
waters look good in some places and lousy in others.
North of Falcon refers to Cape Falcon in northern Oregon, which marks the southern
border of active management for Washington salmon stocks.
"I think we'll have a better process, and we [including the tribal constituents] have
learned some things from last year, so we're going into this season with more optimism,"
said Pat Pattillo of the state Fish and Wildlife's intergovernmental salmon policy group.
The general outlook for Columbia River fall and summer chinook looks better, but still
not up to expectations.
As for the early coho outlook on the Columbia River some are saying it could look like
seasons during the mid-1990s, when unprecedented fishing restrictions were imposed on
coastal fisheries to protect struggling wild coho runs. Biologist are attributing the poor
coho returns to bad survival in the ocean.
In Puget Sound, many are still buzzing about the successful selective summer hatchery-
marked chinook fishery with a 7,000-fish quota in Marine Areas 9 and 10 (North and
Central Puget Sound) during the first two weeks of July.
"We were very happy how the selective chinook fishery went, and fishing was quite
good, with catch rates that we normally see only in the ocean," said Steve Thiesfeld, a
state Fish and Wildlife Puget Sound recreational salmon fishery manager. "Clearly we
were able to monitor it efficiently, and we saw very good compliance."
Thiesfeld said the fishery provided $3.7 million in economic benefit for businesses in the
Greater Seattle area. The benefit was based on 27,000 angler trips taken and $137 spent
per trip.
While the inaugural Puget Sound summer selective fishery went off without a hitch, those
who participated in the salmon season setting process last year pointed out that the quota
was just a sliver of what many had thought fisheries was going to pursue.
"The fact of the matter is, it was only a fraction of what we wanted last year, and yes, we
were disappointed," said Tony Floor, director of fishing affairs for the Northwest Marine
Trade Association and a sport fishing advisory group member.
The sport fishing advisory group said the way to truly recover wild chinook is to lower
the level of mixing between wild and hatchery fish on the spawning beds.
The group says selective fishing provides more fishing opportunities and gets hatchery
fish off spawning grounds, but conservation is a top priority.
While nothing has been set in stone for the summer, it is possible that anglers could get
the selective fishery again in July.
"There was a two-year agreement made for the summer selective fishery, but all that is
pending just in case we have some conservation crisis where a run is in the tank, which
then we might have to reconsider it," Thiesfeld said.
In upcoming meetings, Floor and others, such as Gary Krein, owner of All-Star Fishing
Charters in Everett, said the advisory group will seek an extension of a selective fishery
during the winter time in Areas 7, 9 and 10 (San Juan Islands, and Central and North
Sound).
"While the Area 9 and 10 selective fishery is something people can probably bank on, as
with all these negotiations process nothing is guaranteed, but we are hopeful to possibly
seek out a summer fishery that is consistent with last year," Krein said.
Last year, things got so heated after the fishing seasons were set that Democratic Rep.
Norm Dicks intervened. Dicks met with parties involved to establish calm, and he vowed
to establish more meetings before the 2008 North of
Falcon process.
In recent months, Dicks has had multiple meetings
with the tribes and state, and met with them last
week.
"We have been in discussion with the [congressman]
on where we are with selective fisheries, and what we
are going to do down the road," Thiesfeld said.
In a state Fish and Wildlife release last August, Dicks
recommended expanding the number of mark-
selective fisheries that allow anglers to identify and
release wild fish and keep only hatchery fish. Dicks
said he does not favor reducing hatchery production
of salmon, and he supports continuation of a strong
hatchery system to sustain fish recovery programs as
well as produce fish for harvest.
Dicks has supported funding for mass marking all hatchery-produced salmon in facilities
receiving federal funds. Mass marking removes the adipose fin of hatchery fish so they
can be distinguished from wild fish.
Dicks praised new selective fishing opportunities for hatchery chinook salmon in several
areas of central Puget Sound. New selective fisheries initiated in 2007 mark the first time
in more than a decade that anglers have been allowed to catch and keep adult chinook
salmon in the area from Admiralty Inlet to the northern end of Vashon Island.
State Fish and Wildlife will unveil salmon forecasts 9 a.m. March 4 at the General
Administration Building, 11th Avenue and Columbia Street, Olympia. Seasons will be set
April 6-11.
Balloonist Attempting Record Flight From Japan to
Oregon Feared Missing
Tim King Salem-News.com
Michio Kandia had checked in every two hours with a satellite phone. The last
message was received shortly after he crossed the International Date Line, early
Friday.
http://www.salem-news.com/printview.php?id=7293
(JUNEAU, Alaska) - The Coast Guard is continuing its search in the North Pacific Ocean
for Michio Kanda. a balloon pilot reported missing approximately 435 miles south of
Adak Island.
He was trying to top a long-distance world record of 4,767 miles (7,671 km) according to
the Anchorage Daily News. He also wanted to exceed a duration record he had set in
1997 by flying 50 hours, 38 minutes from Alberta in Canada to Montana in the US.
Michio Kanda was reported missing after he failed to check in with his support team by
satellite phone, shortly after crossing the International Date Line.
At this point, a C-130 Hercules rescue plane from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak is
searching the balloonist's last known position. The Coast Guard Cutter Rush was diverted
from
a patrol in the Bearing Sea and the CGC Jarvis is underway from Kodiak to join the
search for Mr. Kanda.
"We immediately issued an urgent radio broadcast requesting assistance from any
mariners that may be in the area," said Commander Michael Trimpert, Chief, Incident
Management Branch, 17th Coast Guard District, "we have also requested assets from
Canada and Japan to augment our search efforts."
C-130 Hercules rescue plane from Coast Guard AirStation Kodiak Photo courtesy U.S.
Coast GuardMichio Kanda departed on the solo flight Wednesday across the Pacific
Ocean from Japan to Oregon. The Coast Guard was alerted Wednesday by Derek
Hancock of Oregon after Kanda failed to check in on his communication schedule.
The Rush and Jarvis are 378-foot high endurance cutters stationed in Honolulu.
Effort to find missing balloonist could last weeks
HOPE: Hot air balloon has life raft, capsule and 20 days of food, Coast Guard
says.
By BETH BRAGG
bbragg@adn.com
(02/04/08 00:15:12)
The search for a hot-air balloonist who disappeared while flying over the North
Pacific Ocean could last for weeks.
The fourth day of the search for Japanese adventurer Michio Kanda turned up
nothing Sunday, but a Coast Guard spokeswoman said the search won't end soon.
"He has a personal life raft, a capsule that protects him from the elements, and he
has 20 days of food and water on board," Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Johna Rossetti said.
"He could last a while out there."
Kanda, 58, was attempting to sail 5,600 miles from Tochigi, Japan, to Portland, Ore.
His last known position, recorded Thursday, was 435 miles south of Adak.
The area of the search has expanded slightly, Rossetti said.
Sunday's efforts included an aerial search by an Air Force C-130. The Air Force and
Coast Guard both plan to send a C-130 into the air today, Rossetti said -- one at first
light and another in the afternoon.
The Coast Guard cutter Jarvis should be on the scene by Tuesday, Rossetti said. A
cutter had hoped to join the search Sunday, but it was diverted because of a
mechanical problem, she said.
Kanda was one day into a scheduled 60-hour trip aboard "The Starlight" when his
giant balloon -- about 15 stories tall and 150 feet wide -- vanished Thursday.
He was hoping to become the first Japanese balloonist to cross the Pacific Ocean, a
feat he attempted once before, according to The Mainichi Daily News of Japan. In
January 2004, Kanda's pan-Pacific flight ended after about 1,000 miles when he ran
out of fuel and landed in the ocean.
Kanda became Japan's first balloonist to fly over the Himalayas in October 2000, the
newspaper reported.
For that effort, he was given the Naomi Uemura Adventure Prize, named for the
famed mountain climber who disappeared on Mount McKinley in 1984. It's believed
that Uemura, who was trying to become the first solo climber to reach the Alaska
peak's summit in the winter, reached the top of McKinley but was killed on his
descent. His body was never found.
Kanda's latest adventure was planned with a couple of world records in mind -- those
for flight duration and distance, a member of his flight-support team has said.
Kanda's previous record for flight duration was 50 hours, 38 minutes, set on a 1978
trip from Chestemere Lake, Alberta, to Jordan, Mont. The current distance record is
4,767 miles, set in 1991 by Per Lindstrand of Sweden and Richard Branson of
England.
Weather buoys are crucial to ocean boat safety,
fishermen say
By Winston Ross The Register-Guard
Published: February 4, 2008 06:00AM
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=59226&si
d=4&fid=1&p=print
NEWPORT — You might think the most dangerous element of the crab fishing business
is somewhere out at sea — a steel pot knocking a weary deckhand into the frigid depths
of the Pacific Ocean.
It’s not.
The most likely place for an Oregon ship to sink is at river bar crossings, where silt
deposited by inland currents builds up in strange places and creates unpredictable,
breaking waves. Breaking waves sink boats, especially small ones.
That’s why it’s crucial that the out-of-commission weather buoys maintained by the
National Weather Service get fixed, and soon, say fishermen. Without the swell and wind
data the buoys supply, the state’s most valuable fleet must decide with only a pair of
binoculars whether to brave treacherous bar crossings. At night, the fishermen are sailing
blind.
“It puts us at a real disadvantage,” said Mark Newell, a Newport troller. “If you’re on an
80-footer with a bow 30 feet high, you can take a breaker. But smaller boats like me get
wiped out.”
Last month, the powerful storm that brought wind gusts of up to 100 mph and waves as
high as 70 feet ripped two of the government’s weather buoys off of their moorings: one
near the mouth of the Columbia River and another off the coast of Newport.
That left Oregon fishermen in the dark, during a time of year when waves are at their
highest levels. Newell has been using data from buoys in Garibaldi and Reedsport to
guess at swell height, but conditions can vary dramatically up and down the coast.
“I’ve seen the swell jump five or six feet in an hour,” he said.
Steve Todd, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Portland, said a
contract ship called the Blue Fin attempted to redeploy the buoys a week ago but that the
weather was too rough for the boat to make it out.
The private vessel has other commitments in the coming weeks, Todd added. The next
weather opening is in March, said Matt Ocana, a weather service spokesman.
“The weather service is trying to do everything possible to get those things back out
there,” Ocana said.
Last month an aide to Sen. Ron Wyden added a little political pressure, asking the
government to speed up its timetable for replacing the buoys — which was June, at one
point.
“They’re very important to the people on the coast,” said Tom Towslee, a spokesman for
the senator. “Waiting until June just didn’t seem like a reasonable time frame for us.”
Florence crabber Al Pazar said the buoys are a critical resource.
“We can’t plan our trips with the confidence and safety level we like without them,”
Pazar said. “We need to fix them, and quick.”