On Monday, November 29, 2021, in Beecher Bay, WCMRC and KOTUG Canada announced an agreement to supply and operate a dedicated offshore supply vessel (OSV), suitably equipped for 24/7 oil spill response services, to support the protection of the Salish Sea/Haro Strait and Juan de Fuca Strait.
This OSV is a substantial enhancement of oil spill response capacity on Canada’s West Coast. At 245 feet and with 1,000 tonnes of oil storage capacity, it will be the largest ship in the WCMRC fleet.
WCMRC will be outfitting the OSV with 4,000 feet of offshore boom, a high-speed sweep system and a high-capacity skimming system. With overnight accommodation space for twenty-six crew members, the OSV will also add to the growing list of WCMRC’s fleet that can operate continuously for multiple days in open water before requiring resupplies. The OSV will allow WCMRC to mount a large-scale response within six hours anywhere along the shipping lanes.
KOTUG Canada will operate in close coordination with the Sc’ianew First Nation. WCMRC is proud to have a continuing relationship with Chief Russell Chipps and the Sc’ianew First Nation as we further the development of our new response base at Beecher Bay.