Have complaints about container ships in Bellingham Bay? Here’s what to do
A glut of container ships continues to linger throughout Puget Sound, garnering complaints about excessive noise and lights, according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard 13th District Pacific Northwest.
The increased number of anchored container ships in local waters are due to a logistics backlog that has affected shipping across the West Coast and up into Canada this summer, according to the news release. That means several anchorages not typically used for container ships, including Bellingham Bay, have been utilized by large ships in recent months as they wait in line to get to their final destination, the release stated.
On Thursday, Sept. 23, there were no container ships in Bellingham Bay, but the bay has the capacity for two container ships, the press release said. Since early August, there has been at least one container ship waiting in the bay most days, according to data from the website MarineTraffic.com.
These ships can negatively impact the environment, raising the potential for pollution and oil spills and interfering with marine life, according to previous reporting from The Bellingham Herald. They’ve also garnered noise and light complaints from folks throughout Puget Sound, the news release stated.
Ships should not be using bright halogen lights or anything like them, the press release said. However, vessels need deck lights to ensure crew safety.
“The pilots discuss light usage before they leave the vessel, and the Coast Guard makes a nightly broadcast over the radio (approximately a half-hour after sunset) to remind vessels to use minimal lighting,” the press release stated.
Vessels don’t run their propulsion engines unless wind is at or more intense than a gale, which requires ships to use propulsion to avoid dragging anchor. The U.S. Coast Guard attributes “low-hum noise” from ships to the vessels’ generators, which they need to generate electricity on board.
Residents who feel the ships are producing excessive lighting or noise are urged to call the on-duty watch supervisor at 206-217-6152. This will prompt the U.S. Coast Guard to contact the vessel or its agent and ask them to “correct the situation.”
“We can’t promise results because no law or regulation requires such, but we encourage them to be good neighbors,” the press release said.
Additional comments concerning anchored container ships in Puget Sound can be sent to D13-SMB-D13-PugetSoundAnchorage-Inquiries@uscg.mil.
What’s being done to deal with ship traffic?
Luckily, the Salish Sea and Puget Sound boast deep waters that lower the risk of public safety and environmental disasters such as ships running aground and polluting the water with oil, said Laird Hail, director of the Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service, in a statement.
“However, the deep waters limit the number of locations we can use for anchorages,” Hail said. “Container ships have gotten larger since some of our anchorages were established, and as a result, many of the anchorages are no longer suitable for these ships.”
Other waters similar to Bellingham Bay in that they are also designated anchorages but not typically used for container ships include Holmes Harbor, off of Whidbey Island, and Port Gardner.
“Holmes Harbor is way off the beaten path requiring lengthier rides for vessel pilots and is further from the vessels’ ultimate destination,” Hail said in the statement. As soon as “the congestions resolves to where it is not necessary to use Holmes Harbor, we will return to using it only as an overflow location,” Hail said.
Holmes Harbor, Port Gardner and Eliott Bay West are at capacity for container ships as of Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said, with four ships at Holmes Harbor, and one each at Port Gardner and Eliott Bay West. There are two container ships at Yukon Harbor, which has the capacity for five large vessels.
Container ship stakeholders are being encouraged by the captain of the port to find new ways to manage vessel arrivals more efficiently and reduce demand on local anchorages, the release said. These stakeholders include the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, the Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma and terminal operators.
In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard is collaborating with Puget Sound Pilots, a marine pilot organization, to determine which ships should use which anchorages.
“The Coast Guard relies upon the expertise of the pilots in handling ships and their familiarity of the constraints of each anchorage to manage, to the safest extent possible, their use,” the news release stated.
This story was originally published September 23, 2021 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Have complaints about container ships in Bellingham Bay? Here’s what to do."
