By Rick Wright

Staff Writer

South Portland and Cape Elizabeth residents will awaken to lots of unusual activity in Casco Bay on March 24 and 25.

Starting at 7 a.m. on both days, the U.S. Coast Guard base in South Portland will host the nation’s largest oil spill exercise.

“The role of the local base will be to coordinate response activities in the port and offshore,” said Coast Guard Lt. Commander David Sherry. “We’ll be working with state and industry partners as primary responders in the field and in the command post.”

Called Spill of National Significance, or SONS for short, the drill will involve more than 1,000 participants from the Coast Guard and many public and private partners including Shell Oil Products, the Environmental Protection Agency, Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Marine Spill Response Corp.

SONS 2010 also will involve a variety of land and sea resources including booms, trailers, barges skimmers and cutters.

“It’s kind of like the Super Bowl of pollution exercises. That’s how we like to say it,” said Coast Guard Lt. Lisa Ceraolo.

The purpose of the exercise is to test coordination of federal, state, local and private sector resources to contain and clean up the discharge caused by a severe oil spill. 

In 1996, Casco Bay experienced a major oil spill when the tanker Julie N rammed into the “Million Dollar Bridge” that used to connect South Portland and Portland. The ship spilled thousands of gallons of oil that fouled the Fore River and did extensive damage to the environment and waterfront properties in both cities.

The South Portland Coast Guard base was heavily involved in the investigation, containment and cleanup operations of that accident.

Much of the on-the-water activity later this month will be centered on Anchorage A near Fort Gorges, said James McPherson, Coast Guard captain of the port. McPherson said the exercise will have no impact on regular maritime traffic in Casco Bay. Much of the activity will be visible from the Eastern Promenade, McPherson said.

  Participants will be tested on their ability to deal with the scenario of a collision 15 miles east of Portland Head Light between an oil tanker and a car carrier. The two ships break apart and the car carrier sinks in the middle of the ship’s channel, blocking maritime traffic into and out of Portland Harbor.

The simulated collision, occurring in a strong winter storm, results in a major spill of 3 million gallons of oil that causes numerous economic, environmental and political challenges.

SONS is held every three years. This is the first time it’s been done in Maine. The last time it was held on the East Coast was 12 years ago.

The entire plan was laid out for the general public at an open house March 4 at Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland.

“This exercise should scare us. It’s a reminder that it can happen here. The only way we’re going to get through real world spills is if we prepare,” said Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne. 

He was one of the speakers at the open house and is in charge of coordinating volunteers for SONS 2010. Payne works for the Friends of Casco Bay, which is located at Southern Maine Community College.

“The most important thing is it shows the capabilities and protection we really do have,” said  South Portland Waterfront Director Tom Myers, who also attended the open house. 

“These kinds of scenarios are so unlikely in today’s environment to occur. But if they do it shows how well-prepared and organized the responses are,” Myers said.

South Portland has several terminals, including Portland Pipeline, Sprague Energy, Gulf Oil and Irving Oil that receive hazardous materials by sea and land. These materials include crude oil, home heating oil, jet fuel and gasoline. 

Rick Wright can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 237 or news@inthesentry.com.