Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 27, 2010 - Resolve Marine Group and Five Oceans Salvage presented the new United States’ OPA-90 regulations governing all tank vessels entering U.S. waters, on July 14, 2010 in Athens, Greece. Tanker and cargo ship owners, representatives and managers attended a reception hosted by Athens based Five Oceans Salvage and a presentation by Resolve Marine Group, a U.S. based salvage and marine firefighting company, to learn about the new requirements which are effective February 22, 2011. All tank and cargo vessels entering U.S. waters as of the February deadline must have filed a comprehensive Vessel Response Plan (VRP) with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Captain Farhat Imam, Chief Operations Officer of Resolve Marine Group, described the specific requirements and procedures for a Vessel Response Plan in his presentation. In addition to naming a Qualified Individual, a Spill Manager and an Oil Spill Response Organization, shipping entities must name a Salvage, Firefighting and Lightering company to manage emergency and crisis response services. Resolve Marine Group presented their Funding Agreement, a pre-approved contract governing relationships with subcontractors who provide essential equipment and services in emergency response situations. The Funding Agreement effectively prevents delays in emergency response that could occur while contacts are negotiated. Resolve’s Funding Agreement encompasses all necessary Salvage, Towage and Firefighting capabilities, is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, and conforms with the International Group guidelines for salvor contracts within Vessel Response Plans. Resolve is equipped and prepared to manage all Salvage, Firefighting and Lightering requirements of OPA-90 regulations in U.S. waters.
OPA-90 regulations were created in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill which had been the worst oil spill in U.S. history until the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Resolve Marine Group has been delivering a variety of services in support of oil spill skimming and clean-up activities in the Gulf since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig. Resolve also supported the firefighting response to the explosion.
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