A cooperative of 14 oil pipeline and marine companies placed a 58-foot oil recovery vessel called the Clean Sounder into service. They claim it is the largest and most advanced skimmer in the country. The Clean Sounder cost $720,000 and was built by the Marine Construction and Design Co. of Seattle. The vessel should be able to pick up 600 gallons of oil per minute. The boat's purpose is to increase the capacity of the Clean Sound Cooperative to handle accidental oil spills in the Sound. It joined four other skimming vessels in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham, and Anacortes. The skimmer has twin hulls and is powered by water jet propulsion units. The skimmer used two oil attracting belts to pick up oil from the surface, and that oil is squeezed from the belts and stored aboard. The vessel was designed specifically for Puget Sound.
Back of Photo:
Clean Sounder