Dock on the beach in Olympic National Park
March 21, 2013: Efforts to dismantle and remove the dock that washed ashore near Mosquito Creek in Olympic National Park and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary resumed today. No operations could be conducted Wednesday, March 20 due to high seas and unfavorable, windy weather conditions.
Crews from The Undersea Company of Port Townsend, Wash., anticipate removing the remainder of the Styrofoam that was contained in the dock today, and may begin work to remove some concrete slabs from the site.
Weather conditions did not allow for a large time window on Saturday, March 16, but toward the end of the day the contractor was able to place equipment and safety supplies at the site. Crews were able to work at the site Sunday, March 17 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. They prepared the dock for removal using concrete saws. On Monday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 19, crews worked to remove Styrofoam from the dock and transport the foam material off site.
Crews focused on the Styrofoam first to prevent it from getting distributed in the marine environment. Crews discovered that the dock was “post-tensioned,” meaning cables in the top and bottom are used to tension the dock along its length and place the foam and concrete under pressure. This pressure from post-tensioning makes cutting difficult because transverse cuts bind the saw blade. It also makes foam removal challenging, as the foam is under pressure and must be pried and chiseled out.
By 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, about 60 percent of the foam had been removed and the rest secured on site as poor weather conditions arose. The unfavorable weather persisted through March 20.
It’s estimated that three to five more full days of work to remove concrete are needed, plus an additional day to remove equipment. Work will be conducted as weather and safety conditions permit.
To ensure contractor and visitor safety, the coastal area of Olympic National Park between Goodman Creek and Jefferson Cove is closed to all public entry. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary regulations prohibit aircraft from disturbing wildlife by flying below 2,000 feet within one nautical mile of the coast or the offshore islands.
March 19, 2013 - Work has begun to remove a Japanese dock from where it beached in a remote location of Olympic National Park and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
While this location remains closed to ensure safe conditions for workers and park visitors, there are new images of the removal process now available in our Flickr gallery.
This illustration shows how the dock will be dismantled over the next several days.
March 15, 2013 - Dock removal work to begin
Over the weekend, workers will likely begin staging equipment and dismantling the dock that came ashore on the Olympic peninsula this past December. The dock was washed out to sea during the March 2011 tsunami in Japan.
The Undersea Company of Port Townsend, Wash., is working with Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Olympic National Park, as well as local partners in Washington, to dismantle the dock on site. Smaller sections of the dock will then be airlifted to an upland landing zone that is located on private land, and then they will be trucked offsite for disposal. This was determined to be the safest and most efficient method for removal in light of concern that the dock is no longer seaworthy.
As a reminder, to protect contractor and visitor safety while the salvage work is underway, the coastal area of Olympic National Park between Goodman Creek and Jefferson Cove is closed to all public entry. In addition, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary regulations prohibit aircraft from disturbing wildlife by flying below 2,000 feet within one nautical mile of the coast or the offshore islands.
How will the dock be removed?
Using helicopters, workers will bring equipment to dock’s location on the beach to begin work. Equipment will include a mini excavator, generator, pumps, hand tools and concrete sawing equipment, as well as survival equipment for safety precautions.
Due to winter weather and sea conditions, sand and cobble has surrounded and partially covered the dock. Once the dock is exposed, workers will cut up sections of the dock that can be airlifted out.
The contractor will take care to keep the foam as intact as possible, while disassembling the dock. As the foam is exposed, it will be immediately contained and removed by helicopter. Because of the potential environmental hazards and buoyancy, the foam’s removal from the worksite will take priority.
Work is planned to take place during daylight hours during the next several days depending on safety conditions, weather and tides.
Jan. 7, 2013 (6 PM) - The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Olympic National Park agreed today that the removal of the derelict dock from a remote part of Washington’s pristine coastline located in the Olympic National Park is important to the resource protection goals of both the Sanctuary and the Park.
Officials from the Sanctuary and Park, and the Washington State Governor’s Office, Office of Financial Management, Washington Emergency Management Division and Department of Enterprise Services began exploring removal options by conference call this afternoon.
One outcome of the discussion was that the Sanctuary agreed to be the executive contractor for the removal process.
The Marine Debris Response Task Force said it will be able to provide more detail tomorrow about the need for removing the dock.
Jan. 4, 2013 (7 PM) – A six-member team of staff from the Olympic National Park and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife attached a new NOAA tracking buoy to the dock today and finished removing invasive species from it.
Initial lab results have identified 30-50 plant and animal species on the dock that are not found in the United States but are native to Japan. These include types of marine species such as algae, seaweed, mussels and barnacles.
Today the team removed all the remaining plastic bumpers on the dock and scraped more than 400 pounds of encrusted organic material from the structure. The team also washed the bumpers and the entire outer dock structure with a diluted bleach solution to further decontaminate it.
This method, approved by the National Park Service and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, is considered to be environmentally safe. The organic marine material was placed in an upland area outside the surf zone and the cleaned bumpers were safely secured in a hold inside the dock.
With the invasive species threat addressed, state and federal responders are now turning their attention toward removing the dock from the Olympic National Park.
Work on next steps will resume Monday, Jan. 7.
More background info here: marinedebris.wa.gov/incidents/ForksDock.html
Crews from The Undersea Company of Port Townsend, Wash., anticipate removing the remainder of the Styrofoam that was contained in the dock today, and may begin work to remove some concrete slabs from the site.
Weather conditions did not allow for a large time window on Saturday, March 16, but toward the end of the day the contractor was able to place equipment and safety supplies at the site. Crews were able to work at the site Sunday, March 17 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. They prepared the dock for removal using concrete saws. On Monday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 19, crews worked to remove Styrofoam from the dock and transport the foam material off site.
Crews focused on the Styrofoam first to prevent it from getting distributed in the marine environment. Crews discovered that the dock was “post-tensioned,” meaning cables in the top and bottom are used to tension the dock along its length and place the foam and concrete under pressure. This pressure from post-tensioning makes cutting difficult because transverse cuts bind the saw blade. It also makes foam removal challenging, as the foam is under pressure and must be pried and chiseled out.
By 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, about 60 percent of the foam had been removed and the rest secured on site as poor weather conditions arose. The unfavorable weather persisted through March 20.
It’s estimated that three to five more full days of work to remove concrete are needed, plus an additional day to remove equipment. Work will be conducted as weather and safety conditions permit.
To ensure contractor and visitor safety, the coastal area of Olympic National Park between Goodman Creek and Jefferson Cove is closed to all public entry. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary regulations prohibit aircraft from disturbing wildlife by flying below 2,000 feet within one nautical mile of the coast or the offshore islands.
March 19, 2013 - Work has begun to remove a Japanese dock from where it beached in a remote location of Olympic National Park and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
While this location remains closed to ensure safe conditions for workers and park visitors, there are new images of the removal process now available in our Flickr gallery.
This illustration shows how the dock will be dismantled over the next several days.
March 15, 2013 - Dock removal work to begin
Over the weekend, workers will likely begin staging equipment and dismantling the dock that came ashore on the Olympic peninsula this past December. The dock was washed out to sea during the March 2011 tsunami in Japan.
The Undersea Company of Port Townsend, Wash., is working with Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Olympic National Park, as well as local partners in Washington, to dismantle the dock on site. Smaller sections of the dock will then be airlifted to an upland landing zone that is located on private land, and then they will be trucked offsite for disposal. This was determined to be the safest and most efficient method for removal in light of concern that the dock is no longer seaworthy.
As a reminder, to protect contractor and visitor safety while the salvage work is underway, the coastal area of Olympic National Park between Goodman Creek and Jefferson Cove is closed to all public entry. In addition, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary regulations prohibit aircraft from disturbing wildlife by flying below 2,000 feet within one nautical mile of the coast or the offshore islands.
How will the dock be removed?
Using helicopters, workers will bring equipment to dock’s location on the beach to begin work. Equipment will include a mini excavator, generator, pumps, hand tools and concrete sawing equipment, as well as survival equipment for safety precautions.
Due to winter weather and sea conditions, sand and cobble has surrounded and partially covered the dock. Once the dock is exposed, workers will cut up sections of the dock that can be airlifted out.
The contractor will take care to keep the foam as intact as possible, while disassembling the dock. As the foam is exposed, it will be immediately contained and removed by helicopter. Because of the potential environmental hazards and buoyancy, the foam’s removal from the worksite will take priority.
Work is planned to take place during daylight hours during the next several days depending on safety conditions, weather and tides.
Jan. 7, 2013 (6 PM) - The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Olympic National Park agreed today that the removal of the derelict dock from a remote part of Washington’s pristine coastline located in the Olympic National Park is important to the resource protection goals of both the Sanctuary and the Park.
Officials from the Sanctuary and Park, and the Washington State Governor’s Office, Office of Financial Management, Washington Emergency Management Division and Department of Enterprise Services began exploring removal options by conference call this afternoon.
One outcome of the discussion was that the Sanctuary agreed to be the executive contractor for the removal process.
The Marine Debris Response Task Force said it will be able to provide more detail tomorrow about the need for removing the dock.
Jan. 4, 2013 (7 PM) – A six-member team of staff from the Olympic National Park and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife attached a new NOAA tracking buoy to the dock today and finished removing invasive species from it.
Initial lab results have identified 30-50 plant and animal species on the dock that are not found in the United States but are native to Japan. These include types of marine species such as algae, seaweed, mussels and barnacles.
Today the team removed all the remaining plastic bumpers on the dock and scraped more than 400 pounds of encrusted organic material from the structure. The team also washed the bumpers and the entire outer dock structure with a diluted bleach solution to further decontaminate it.
This method, approved by the National Park Service and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, is considered to be environmentally safe. The organic marine material was placed in an upland area outside the surf zone and the cleaned bumpers were safely secured in a hold inside the dock.
With the invasive species threat addressed, state and federal responders are now turning their attention toward removing the dock from the Olympic National Park.
Work on next steps will resume Monday, Jan. 7.
More background info here: marinedebris.wa.gov/incidents/ForksDock.html
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