Page 22: of Marine News Magazine (July 2016)

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REGULATORY REVIEW

Revised PREP Guidelines

Effective June 2016: What You Should Know

By Kate Kelley

On April 11, 2016 the U.S. Coast based salvage and marine ? re? ghting table top exercises,

Guard (USCG) released the revised and equipment deployment for SMFF providers. Existing 2016 National Preparedness for Re- requirements also include: QI noti? cations, emergency sponse Exercise Program (PREP) procedure drills, OSRO equipment deployment, and inci-

Guidelines. The new guidelines will dent management team table top exercises (IMT TTX). A become effective on June 10, 2016. brief overview of the new requirements is shown to follow:

Established under the Oil Pollution

Act of 1990, the PREP guidelines were Remote Assessment and Consultation Exercise with SMFF: developed to provide a mechanism for The USCG requires an annual exercise for each vessel op-

Kelley compliance with the vessel response erating in U.S. waters. Under these new guidelines, the plan (VRP) drill and exercise requirements. Use of the vessel master or designee should exercise VRP noti? cation

PREP Guidelines is voluntary, however, compliance with and activation procedures to communicate an emergency the PREP guidelines will satisfy these requirements. procedures scenario with the contracted SMFF resource

The 2016 PREP Guidelines apply to all plan holders provider identi? ed in the plan, and establish a commu- including tank and non-tank vessels that operate in the nication process to support the completion of the vessel’s

U.S. The USCG requires that, within a three-year cycle, all stability and structural integrity assessment.

elements of the VRP, including the 15 core components, Shore-Based Salvage and Shore-Based Marine Fire? ght- should be exercised in a drill, or series of drills, involv- ing Table Top Exercises: The USCG requires an annual ing the vessel Owner/Operator, Quali? ed Individual (QI), exercise for plan holders and the respective management

Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSRO) and Salvage and teams, as established in the plan. The USCG stated this

Marine Fire? ghting (SMFF) resource providers. requirement should exercise the team’s organization, com- munication, and decision-making in managing a salvage

N R and a marine ? re? ghting response.

EW EQUIREMENTS

Many existing requirements under the previous PREP Response Equipment Deployment Exercise – SMFF Pro-

Guidelines are either unchanged or have received only mi- viders: The USCG requires an annual exercise for plan nor revisions. There are, however, several new requirements holders, to be completed by the contracted SMFF service including: remote assessment consultation exercises, shore- providers identi? ed in the plan. The USCG stated these

July 2016

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