Ship that lost 40 containers near Strait of Juan de Fuca a potential wake-up call

The U.S. Coast Guard in Seattle is opening up more places for large container ships to get out of severe weather, especially as ships continue to wait a week or more before they can be unloaded at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, which together form the Northwest Seaport Alliance.

“Offshore, the master is responsible for the safety of his vessel — we took some steps to try and increase the availability of places for the ships to get out of the storm,” said Laird Hail, director of the Puget Sound Vessel Traffic Service and retired USCG captain.

The Vessel Traffic Service based in Seattle watches vessel traffic in three primary sectors in the inland waters in Washington state and between Washington and British Columbia. In one of those sectors, running from the outer coast to Dungeness Spit inside the Straight of Juan de Fuca, vessels can at least get off the open ocean and slowly cruise back and forth in a race track formation west of Port Angeles.

[hephaestus]

If you need a wake up call at this point, you are hopeless and you are a large part of the problem.

[steveo]

Free cargo just floating out there. Who's got a boat?

[whatsreal]

Hard to believe there's a trucker shortage AND a crane operator shortage simultaneously. Those are high paying jobs: something about this whole situation has the stench of fabrication.

[judieg.]

In light of what may be being shipped in these containers, we the public find it concerning as well.

[davef.]

"Something about this whole thing just doesn't add up". Cred: Lt. Columbo.

[Matty.G.Weights]

Ok but what about the chemicals in the chemical fire that are all now washed into the ocean fxck the oil😂😂

[ej]

Ships waiting off the coasts are on purpose.

[TimDurkan]

Great reporting Glenn, scary business there… I had no idea about the ‘race track’ up in the Strait - some tricky water up there

[eligebrown]

It's a tracking station. It's not a top secret destroyer operations room.

[georgepretnick]

This is a wake up call for American industrialists, American retail, Wall Street, and American consumers. This is precisely what we predicted forty years ago when we fought globalism. You wanted it, you got it. Now suck it up and don't drop any.

[westmibaddrivers]

ya'll need to figure out how to get those ships IN and OUT of port as quickly as possible. Establish one way, exclusive Express lanes for trucks and trains.. One track going in, one out, continuous movement, moving containers out of the port to a sorting area outside the port area where they can be sorted, and sent on their way, not clogging up the ports.. The ports themselves should have the cranes operating 24/7 only stopping for necessary maintenance, and when ships arrive and depart with the goal to begin loading/unloading as soon as is possible once they are tied up safely to the doc.

[mikeymusk]

Been through there a few time, opportune time to gather sea legs

[savannahm.laurentian]

If you are going to report in the Northwest, maybe don't invent the name of an indigenous tribe. Do your basic homework.

[johnsebar]

Would not want to run into those floating steel cargo containers, especially at night.

[janh]

No worries. The lost containers were probably either last springs Easter decorations or military household goods shipments.

[Uvotedthis]

Well as the Old saying goes,
Ships Happen!
LGB party

[charlesvarga]

Anchorage’s COST money, and there’s no telling how long before they can offload.

[enjoyinglifeoneportatatime]

If the ship drops anchor, isn't there an anchorage fee? Isn't this just another money grab by the Port of Seattle? 🤔
Seems it's cheaper to run the race track circle than pay a moorage/anchor fee. What effect are these ships running the race track having on the overall air quality? Another case of the government wanting $$, than clean air.

[kevinmedeiros]

Sounds like someone owning the ports or within customs is causing a blockade of goods

[waynep]

I want to know if the lashing broke or were they incomplete installed