Jr Ave News

Steamship Mutual: US Vessel Response Plans – Contingency Plans

Washington State – Alaska – Non tank final rule & Washington State – Contingency Plan requirements. We refer to our circular no. B.613. As stated in that circular, every tank vessel and every other vessel over 300 GT is required under State law to file a contingency plan prior to entry into the waters of Washington State but that instead of filing his own plan an owner can subscribe to an umbrella oil spill contingency plan. Since publishing the abovementioned circular, Washington State Maritime Co-operative (WSMC) has changed its enrolment agreement and the version with footer “WSMC Enrolment Agreement – December 2013” conforms with the International Group’s guidelines on vessel response plans.

U.S. Coast Alert

VRP Service Disruptions September 2 and 5-9, 2013. The VRP program will be transitioning to the new Coast Guard Headquarters building September 5th  through September 9th, 2013. As a result, there will be a disruption to VRP service during this time. Staff will not have access to computers or phones. Additionally, September 2nd is a federal holiday, limiting VRP staff availability to September 3rd and 4th that week. Please plan ahead to ensure that all upcoming submissions are made in a timely manner. Telephone numbers will remain the same.