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MARINE RESPONSEIn the early hours of Friday, October 17, the crew of the Russian cargo ship Simushir attempted to repair a broken oil heater. On its way to Pevek in the Russian Far East, the vessel suddenly lost propulsion and began drifting toward the nearest land, which in this case was the archipeligo Haida Gwaii. Just off the coast of northern British Columbia, about 30 miles south of the border with Alaska and 447 miles north of Vancouver, Simushir was carrying 50 tons of diesel and 400 tons of bunker oil, plus chemicals for mining. As the scenario unfolded, the vessel?s situation was now particularly worrisome. Seas were ve feet and winds were 13.5 knots gusting to 17.5 knots blowing the freighter northeast. Environment Canada had issued a gale warn- ing. With Simushir dead in the water, rescue ships hours away and an onshore wind blowing, residents of Haida Gwaii held emergency, preparatory meetings and hoped for the best. That?s because the islands are home to an $83 million shery, a marine reserve, the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. The envi- ronmentally-sensitive archipeligo, informally known as the Queen Charlottes, are sometimes called the ?Galapagos of the North.? And, the Simushir was heading straight for the park on the south end. Canadian, U.S. Coast Guards and Foss Maritime coordinate a textbook response operation. Robust response trumps the need for later salvage. By Sarah McCoy Teaming Up to Respond Teaming Up to Respond for the Greater Good CREDIT: Canadian Maritime Forces Paci Þ cDecember 201428 MNMN Dec14 Layout 18-31.indd 28MN Dec14 Layout 18-31.indd 2811/25/2014 10:23:17 AM11/25/2014 10:23:17 AM
