MCN-5; Guemes Channel, Shannon Point, Washington

Guemes Channel, Shannon Point, Washington | 1988-Jan-31

Initial Notification: At approximately 0330 on 31 January 1988, the master of the tug James T. Quigg reported that his tow, the Tank Barge MCN-5 had turned onto its port side. At the time of the incident, the tug and barge were turning to the south around Fidalgo Head, near Shannon Point, Washington. The barge was loaded with 9,874 barrels of Heavy Cycle Gas Oil (HCGO) and some residual lighter fuel oils when it departed the Texaco Facility at Anacortes, Washington, three hours earlier. At 0530, the MCN-5 partially sank in an inverted position approximately three hundred yards off Shannon Point. The stern rested on the bottom in about 120 feet of water and the bow remained above the surface, supported by an air bubble in the forward rake. The barge remained in this position for more than a week while cleanup and salvage operations were organized. On February 8, the barge sank completely, coming to rest on its port side at an angle of 17 degrees to the bottom. Less than 2,500 barrels of oil were released into the water. Because the high specific gravity of the cargo made it sink, there was little observed environmental damage. USCG district 13. Keyword: Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR), Washington Department of Ecology (WA DOE), Pacific Strike Team (PST), Airspace Request Zone, Flight Restricted Area, skimmer, cannonball diaper sampler, sub-surface oil, sinking, salvage, boom, vegatation cutting..