Private spill response boats and recovery vessels will be deploying oil boom barriers and tracking buoys and other gear in a test of their ability to quickly deploy equipment in the event of an actual oil spill.
No oil will be used for Tuesday's exercise.
The Washington Department of Ecology will test how well several state-regulated companies can implement their oil spill preparedness plans, including coordinating actions and quickly mobilizing equipment to effectively respond to an oil spill.
This planned drill is being conducted by the Marine Spill Response Corp., a private, nonprofit contractor providing oil-spill response services for 20 companies in Washington.
The Columbia River is a particularly challenging location for the exercise. Shifting sediments can make navigation tricky and participants may have to work in swiftly moving water. Oil tankers, fuel barges, and large cargo vessels make more than 2,300 transits a year in the Columbia River
Source: The Daily News (http://tdn.com/news/local/article_545bfd1c-8282-11df-ab07-001cc4c002e0.html)
