Washington’s San Juan County repeats calls for tug deployment at Sidney, British Columbia

The San Juan County Council of Washington and the British Columbia Islands Trust Council recently sent a joint letter requesting that the Canadian government reposition one of its multi-mission emergency towing vessels (ETVs) to Sidney, British Columbia, to extend the protections afforded by these vessels to the inland shipping corridor to Vancouver.

The San Juan County Council said Washington’s ETV stationed in Neah Bay is too far away to rescue vessels that become disabled in Haro Strait, Boundary Pass, and the Southern Strait of Georgia.

The county council and Islands Trust Council requested the Canadian government to position an ETV in Sidney back in May of 2018. Council member Jamie Stephens said the request is based on the current threat and not driven by future increases in vessel traffic, for which additional management actions to maintain safety may be needed.

The request is again being made to decrease the risk of spills currently posed by unescorted vessels transiting to and from Canada, Mr Stephens said.