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In Seattle, some mariners work inside a baseball stadium. But there's also a small band of real mariners who specialize in guiding stadium-sized ships through Puget Sound. Narrow shipping lanes and fast currents demand an expert hand at the wheel to keep the sound safe from a major oil spill. Producer John Ryan takes us on a midnight run on a giant oil tanker.
Part two of an award-winning series on the tidal currents of Puget Sound.
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Piece Description
In Seattle, some mariners work inside a baseball stadium. But there's also a small band of real mariners who specialize in guiding stadium-sized ships through Puget Sound. Narrow shipping lanes and fast currents demand an expert hand at the wheel to keep the sound safe from a major oil spill. Producer John Ryan takes us on a midnight run on a giant oil tanker. Part two of an award-winning series on the tidal currents of Puget Sound.
Broadcast History
KUOW-Seattle, Oct. 17, 2006 and Jan. 29, 2007
Transcript
ON THE DECK OF A TANKER CALLED THE BRITISH OAK, A HUGE NO SMOKING SIGN LOOMS OVER A MAZE OF PIPES AND VALVES. WHEN YOU?RE SITTING ON TOP OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND TONS OF CRUDE OIL FROM THE PERSIAN GULF, YOU TAKE FIRE SAFETY VERY SERIOUSLY. PASSENGERS CLIMBING ABOARD EVEN HAVE TO TURN OFF THEIR ELECTRONIC DEVICES TO MAKE SURE A SPARK DOESN?T IGNITE ANY STRAY PETROLEUM FUMES.
(FX: You?re all shut off, right? No, sorry... [click])
TONIGHT, THE BP OIL TANKER IS ON ITS WAY TO THE CHERRY POINT REFINERY, NORTH OF BELLINGHAM. THE SEA IS CALM AND THE SKY FULL OF STARS. THE VIEW FROM THE PILOT HOUSE, 80 FEET ABOVE PUGET SOUND, IS HARD TO BEAT.
Hannigan: ?You?re seeing the lights of Orcas Island. See the red lights up there, those are the radio towers on top of Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island, and we?re actually heading for those right now.?
PAT HANNIGAN IS ONE OF ABOUT 50 PUGET SOUND PILOTS....
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Sign-off ends at 6:22, and there follows a 17-second tail of waves on the beach.
In Seattle, some mariners work inside a baseball stadium. But there?s also a small band of real mariners who specialize in guiding stadium-sized ships through Puget Sound. Narrow shipping lanes and fast currents demand an expert hand at the wheel to keep the inland sea of Washington state safe from a major oil spill. For part two of our series on the currents of Puget Sound, producer John Ryan takes us on a midnight run on a giant oil tanker.
Additional Files
- Capt. Mutiar Inderjit Singh (captmutiar.jpg)
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