9/29 No Shell drill, sunk tug, detained bulker, opah, Mars water

Burrowing owls (Garrett Lau/BirdNote)

A Murder, a Party, a Stare, or a Siege
Collective nouns are a mixture of poetry, alliteration, and description. Victorians often made up names for groups of birds, as a parlor game. Many names bring a vision of the birds instantly to mind. How about this stare of owls? They're Burrowing Owls! So what would a bunch of birders be called? A gaggle? A flock? A watch? Can you be more creative? (BirdNote)

Exuberance and Disappointment at Shell’s About-Face in the Arctic
For many Alaskans, Monday was “a huge disappointment, a really big disappointment,” as Gov. Bill Walker put it, reflecting on the tax revenue, jobs and investments that may be lost as Royal Dutch Shell abandons its plan to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic. But for many people here in Washington State and elsewhere, it was a day of exuberance, one that offered evidence that the harbor blockades, city resolutions, lawsuits and relentless cries of “Shell No!” had helped force Shell’s hand. Kirk Johnson reports. (NY Times) See also: Varied pressures force Shell out of Arctic  Royal Dutch’s Shell’s decision to pull back from exploration off Alaska’s North Slope reflects not just the results of a disappointing summer drilling season but also the pressures faced by an oil industry buffeted by low crude prices and increased concern about the environmental risks of developing major new oil fields in the offshore Arctic. (Seattle Times)

Tugboat sinks in Georgia Strait
An 18-metre tugboat sank in the southern Georgia Strait, just west of Vancouver, Monday morning. The Rescue Co-ordination Centre confirms the Harken 10 sank off Sandheads, near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal around 5 a.m. PT. Officials said no one was hurt and the crew managed to climb into an aluminum boat that was being towed behind the tug. (CBC)

Bulker detained for safety shortfalls
Deficient fire safety equipment has led US Coast Guard (USCG) inspectors to detain a Greek bulker at the Port of Tacoma until the issues can be resolved. A team from the agency's Puget Sound sector found the deficiencies on the 81,700 dwt Rena while conducting a routine inspection on 24 September. While on board the 2011-built vessel, listed as owned by Piraeus-based Trojan Maritime, the USCG discovered "multiple areas" that did not meet SOLAS regulations. The agency said the most severe deficiency involved improper pressurisation of the crew's self-contained breathing apparatuses, a problem that would prevent the crew from responding safely to a fire. John Gallagher reports. (IHS Maritime 360)

Rare and strange fish landed off Westport could be new state record
An opah, a warmer water fish known as a sunfish or moonfish, was caught by recreational fishers out of Westport. "The 35 pound, 11 ounce fish was officially weighed and taken to the state Fish and Wildlife office in Olympia for verification as a possible state record." Mark Yuasa reports. (Seattle Times)

Liquid water flows on today's Mars: NASA confirms evidence
New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. (Science Daily)

Now, your tug weather--
WEST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA- 254 AM PDT TUE SEP 29 2015
TODAY
E WIND 5 TO 15 KT...BECOMING TO 10 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 8 SECONDS.
TONIGHT
E WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING SW 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. NW SWELL 3 FT AT 9 SECONDS.
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