Seal Mix-A-Lot

Oh. My. God. Becky.

Port Patrol observed raucous behavior of an early '90s fraternity party-like atmosphere in Commencement Bay off the North Intermodal Yard.

Upon investigation, I overheard the following:

♫ I like big boom and I cannot lie
You other seals can’t deny
When a boat floats in with an itty bitty wake
And a salmon in your face
You get stoked, wanna haul out and huff
‘Cause you notice that boom is stuffed
With a bunch of other lazy seals tanning
I’m hooked and I can’t stop napping
Oh boom-y, I wanna get more salmon
And get to clammin’
My home-seals tried to warn me
But that boom you got makes me so… sleepy. ♪

That’s all I got.

Environmental connection

Containment boom is staged around the Port’s waterways for a number of reasons, most often for use by fuel barges when fueling ships at berth. The boom ensures that, in the small likelihood any material spills during the operation, the material is already contained and easily collected.

Containment boom is also used during other incidental spills that may occur. The boom is staged in strategic locations for quick retrieval to minimize the amount of time between the need and deployment.

One of the fringe benefits of having the containment boom staged in the water is the “micro-habitat” it provides our resident seals. They fancy its floating properties as to allow them to wait one hour after a meal before swimming.