Page 16: of Marine News Magazine (January 2011)

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16 MN January 2011

SALVAGE his or her discretion as the SMFF plan is put into action.

Currently, there are no trained commercial marine fire- fighting teams available in the State of Hawaii. Presently, plans must only account for the port of Honolulu and 50 miles outward (encompassing Oahu and part of Molokai).

Tank vessels operating within 50 nautical miles of

Honolulu Harbor will be required to contract with com- mercial marine firefighting providers from the mainland and submit a temporary waiver request to the Sector

Honolulu COTP.

The bottom line is that you must have a plan and put some forethought into what could go wrong and what you are going to need. Furthermore, you must either train someone on the vessel or have someone shore-side who can assess how to proceed with the plan of action, when an emergency happens. This assessment must occur within the first hour following a casualty and an on-site salvage assess- ment (or fire assessment) must occur within six hours for near coastal.

MN

Captain Katharine Sweeney is CEO of Compliance Maritime, provider of independent internal auditing of security, safety, quality, and environmental management systems for vessel operators. Captain Sweeney is an experienced Master Mariner, safety expert and federally licensed pilot with over 25 years experience. Contact her at CaptSweeney@compliancemar- itime.com or (206) 414-4661.

The 15-Point Plan

The US Coast Guard’s 15-Point Selection Criteria per the new

OPA-90 Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations pub- lished at the end of 2008, and set to come into full force early 2011. 1. Resource provider is currently working in response serv- ice needed. 2. Resource provider has documented history of participa- tion in successful salvage and/or marine firefighting opera- tions, including equipment deployment. 3. Resource provider owns or has contracts for equipment needed to perform response services. 4. Resource provider has personnel with documented train- ing certification and degree experience. 5. Resource provider has 24-hour availability of personnel and equipment, and history of response times compatible with the time requirements in the regulation. 6. Resource provider has ongoing continuous training pro- gram. For marine firefighting providers, they meet the train- ing guidelines in NFPA 1001, 1005, 1021, 1405 and 1561. 7. Resource provider has successful record of participation in drills and exercises. 8. Resource provider has salvage or marine firefighting plans used and approved during real incidents. 9. Resource provider has membership in relevant national and/or international organizations. 10. Resource provider has insurance that covers the salvage and/or marine firefighting services which they intend to pro- vide. 11. Resource provider has sufficient up front capital to sup- port an operation. 12. Resource provider has equipment and experience to work in the specific regional geographic environment(s) that the vessel operates in (e.g., bottom type, water turbidity, water depth, sea state and temperature extremes). 13. Resource provider has the logistical and transportation support capability required to sustain operations for extend- ed periods of time in arduous sea states and conditions. 14. Resource provider has the capability to implement the necessary engineering, administrative and personal protec- tive equipment controls to safeguard the health and safety of their workers when providing salvage and marine fire- fighting services. 15. Resource provider has familiarity with the salvage and marine firefighting protocol contained in the local ACPs for each COTP area for which they are contracted.

The bottom line is that you must have a plan and put some forethought into what could go wrong and what you are going to need. Furthermore, you must either train someone on the vessel or have someone shore- side who can assess how to proceed with the plan of action, when an emergency happens. This assessment must occur within the first hour following a casualty and an on-site salvage assessment (or fire assessment) must occur within six hours for near coastal.