Page 20: of Marine News Magazine (April 2020)

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FIREBOATS

BIG

CITY

Fireboats

By Tom Ewing n March 3, the Coast Guard published a notice of the Port (COTP) are required to develop safety contin- that Martin Midstream Partners (MMP), a pet- gency plans, addressing issues from ?res to hazardous materi- rochemical transport and storage company, was als spills. For Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur, the “Southeast seeking approval to modify terminal operations Texas And Southwest Louisiana Area Contingency Plan” is a

O in Beaumont, Texas, along the Sabine-Neches Waterway. If 1,000+ page document, last updated in July 2019, ?lled with approved, MMP would expand its lique?ed hazardous gas information about municipal ?re departments, hazmat ?rst (LHG) operations, both in volume and products. Instead of responders, staging areas and emergency response equipment.

just handling ammonia the change would allow shipments of Surprisingly, there is just one ?reboat mentioned in the entire butane, propane, ethane, ethylene and propylene. regional plan. And other than its location, in the Port of Lake

Critically, MMP’s expansion would increase LHG vessel Charles, the ?reboat – its ?re?ghting capabilities, for example transit from 24 ships to as many as 350 per year. That’s more – isn’t mentioned again. The plan does tell that most local ?re than a 14-fold increase, for just one company. The Sabine- departments have limited response capabilities for shipboard

Neches is additionally expected to become the largest lique- ?res, small watercraft for search and rescue and spill response.

?ed natural gas (LNG) exporter in the U.S. as American en- The plan explains that “offshore ship ?res are a rescue ergy exports muscle up for delivery to worldwide markets. priority. Land-based ?re departments will have involve-

Obviously, expansion at this scale raises questions about ment at their chief’s discretion”. [The Coast Guard does port safety and emergency response. Coast Guard Captains not take the lead in ?ghting port ?res nor in hazmat re-

April 2020 20 MN