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Oil Spill Removal Organizations News

20 Feb 2024

Trinidad Government Hires Salvors to Recover Sunken Oil Barge

(Photo: Office of the Chief Secretary)

Trinidad and Tobago has hired two remediation and salvage firms to help clean up an ongoing oil spill off Tobago and salvage the leaking barge, the country's Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday.It has been almost two weeks since the oil spill was first discovered off Tobago's Atlantic coast after a barge ran aground on a reef. The spill has entered the Caribbean Sea, threatening nearby Venezuela and Grenada."An international partnership comprised of T&T Salvage LLC and QT Environmental Inc…

01 Aug 2022

Tanker Spills Oil on the Mississippi River

Hafnia Rhine discharged an estimate of 2,100 gallons of oil before its crew secured the source of the discharge. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans)

A Singaporean-flagged oil tanker discharged oil on the Lower Mississippi River near Kenner, La., on Thursday.U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans watchstanders received notification at 6:08 p.m. that the Hafnia Rhine discharged oil during a fueling operation with a fuel barge at Ama Anchorage, mile marker 115. Watchstanders dispatched Coast Guard pollution responders to the scene.The tanker crew secured the oil discharge, but Sector New Orleans pollution investigators estimated up to 2…

29 Mar 2019

Containership Spills Oil in New York

A containership has reportedly leaked fuel oil into the Arthur Kill waterway near Staten Island, N.Y., the U.S. Coast Guard said.The Coast Guard said it is working alongside partner agencies to respond to the spill, which occurred while the vessel was moored at the Global Marine New York Container Terminal on Thursday afternoon. The amount of fuel spilled is currently unknown, and the cause of the spill is under investigation, the Coast Guard said.A Unified Command has been established on scene to coordinate cleanup efforts. Containment boom has been placed around the vessel and there are multiple oil spill response vessels actively…

12 Dec 2018

2018 Green Apple Spill Exercise

Committed to providing tugboat and towing vessel operators with a platform to meet regularity requirements and collaborate with local resources, the annual event also reminds us that Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.On September 28 2018, American Marine Associates, LLC (AMA) coordinated and hosted the 3rd annual Green Apple Spill Response Exercise in Bayonne, NJ. The Green Apple Spill Response exercise was established specifically for the tugboat and towing vessel industry operating in New York Harbor.

20 Sep 2018

Answering the Call for Environmental Answers

The RDC project team poses on USCGC Hollyhock after completion of the offshore mitigation system prototype test.  From left to right, LT Charles Clark, Alexander Balsley, and Coast Guard Academy Cadet 2/c Valerie Hines.)

The Coast Guard has developed two separate mitigation system prototypes specifically designed for inland and offshore environments and tested them in the Kalamazoo River and Lake Huron.Whenever there is a need for oil, there will always be a risk of oil spills. This is no less true for bituminous sands, commonly known as oil sands or tar sands. Oil sands are mostly found in Alberta, Canada, and comprised of bitumen, sand, clay and water. They are typically viscous, with a texture similar to peanut butter.

01 Aug 2017

Salvage and Marine Firefighting

© Lev Savitskiy / Adobe Stock

Salvage and marine firefighting are complex response efforts often undertaken in adverse weather and sea conditions. While no two oil spill responses are the same, the diversity of variation between any two oil spill responses is not near as great as the diversity of any two salvage and marine firefighting responses. As a result, salvage and marine firefighting response providers must plan for and anticipate a wide range of variation in what will be required to address their portion of a marine casualty. The U.S.

07 Feb 2017

Salvage and Marine Firefighting Verification

Firefighting onboard any ship is one of the most serious situations facing onboard personnel and responders. The containership CCNI Arauco caught fire in the aft container hold on September 1. After four intense weeks, Ardent safely returned the vessel to the owners. Ardent discharged the damaged containers out of the vessels cargo hold. These containers were declared as dangerous waste and required special treatment. (Photo: Feuerwehr Hamburg)

The U.S. Coast Guard regulations regarding salvage and marine firefighting (SMFF) as elements of vessel response plans (VRPs) for tank vessels have been in place since December 31, 2008. On September 30, 2013, these regulations were expanded to include non-tank vessels with a capacity of 2,500 barrels or greater of fuel oil. The VRP requirement was established by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90). be resubmitted for approval of each significant change. The salvage and marine…

01 Aug 2016

Revised PREP Guidelines: What You Should Know

Kate Kelley

On April 11, 2016 the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) released the revised 2016 National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines. The new guidelines will become effective on June 10, 2016. Established under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the PREP guidelines were developed to provide a mechanism for compliance with the vessel response plan (VRP) drill and exercise requirements. Use of the PREP Guidelines is voluntary, however, compliance with the PREP guidelines will satisfy these requirements.

10 Jun 2015

Summer Wind, Miss Susan Tow Collision Report

This is a synopsis from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) report and does not include the Board’s rationale for the conclusions, probable cause, and safety recommendations. NTSB staff is currently making final revisions to the report from which the attached conclusions and safety recommendations have been extracted. The final report and pertinent safety recommendation letters will be distributed to recommendation recipients as soon as possible. to further review and editing. Houston Ship Channel, Lower Galveston Bay, Texas. The visibility was restricted at the time due to fog. The bulk carrier was inbound to Houston, traveling in a north direction. The tow was bound for Port Bolivar on the east side of the Houston Ship Channel, traveling in an east direction.

08 Apr 2015

Marine Salvage & Oil Spill Response Insights

Photo: Global Diving & Salvage

Last month Maritime Reporter had the good fortune to receive insights from a trio of maritime salvage leaders – Paul Hankins, Tim Beaver & Jim Elliott – garnering insights on one of the most challenging and ever-changing sectors of the maritime market. It was recently written “salvors have become more closely tied to Oil Spill Response Organizations (OSROs).” Why? Hankins The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90) defines how all stakeholders will respond to potential or actual oil spill responses.

16 Apr 2014

USCG: Deepwater Horizon Response is Far from Complete

Discoverer Enterprise arrives to install the capping equipment - July 2010 (Photo: BP)

The U.S. Coast Guard federal on-scene coordinator (FOSC) for the Deepwater Horizon Response completed the transition to the “Middle Response” (“Middle R”) process and opened active National Response Center (NRC) cases for three miles of coastline in Louisiana. “Our response posture has evolved to target re-oiling events on coastline segments that were previously cleaned,” said Capt. Thomas Sparks, the FOSC for the Deepwater Horizon Response. “But let me be absolutely clear: This response is not over – not by a long shot.

20 Dec 2013

Nontank Vessel Response Plan Required by January 30, 2014

The "Nontank Vessel Response Plans and Other Response Plan Requirements" (NTVRP) final rule, which was published in the Federal Register on September 30, 2013, requires vessel owners or operators of nontank vessels 400 gross tons and above to prepare and submit oil spill response plans for vessels operating on the navigable waters of the United States by January 30, 2014. Because many of the requirements in the NTVRP final rule are statutory mandates and regulatory constraints on our ability to extend the implementation date…

17 Oct 2013

Congress Should Enhance OPA 90 Responder Provisions

The Benefits to the Scope of Coverage in an Expanded Responder Immunity Regime are many. The response industry has been extremely supportive of a coalition effort to work with Congress to enact enhancements to the current responder immunity provisions enacted by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (“OPA 90”). Unfortunately, however, Congress has not taken immediate action following the Deepwater Horizon incident, which occurred almost 3.5 years ago, like it did following the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989 to enact legislation to remedy deficiencies identified as a result of the incident. Congress acted in approximately 18 months following the Exxon Valdez incident.

17 Apr 2013

Key Salvage Issues for 2013 – and Beyond…

This is a good time to look aft and reflect on the accomplishments achieved in 2012, as well as to the distant horizon to see what challenges loom in 2013, and beyond. It is fair to say that the Coast Guard and salvage industry have come a long way in the last few years with implementation of a salvage and firefighting final rule; first published in December 2008, delayed until February 22, 2011, to provide for harmonization with the changes to the vessel and facility amendments for response plans.

07 Jan 2013

The Challenge of Responding to Arctic Oil Spills

December 8, 2004. The bulk carrier M/V Selendang Ayu ran aground on Unalaska Island.

The U.S. Arctic is no longer the place it once was. The environment north of the Yukon River and beyond the vast Brooks Range is warming rapidly. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists predict that by 2020-2030, the Arctic could be nearly free of sea ice during the summer. Open seas will expand opportunities for maritime transportation, tourism, and oil and gas exploration in the region. But as a warming Arctic opens up vast opportunities for commerce and development…

20 Sep 2012

Insights: Andrew Altendorf President, SCAA

Andrew Altendorf is the CEO and majority owner of Acme Environmental Inc. Acme’s history spans almost 50 years and the firm is recognized as a pioneer in the manufacture of oil spill containment booms and other oil spill recovery items. A U.S. Coast Guard classified OSRO, Acme and Altendorf support numerous customers in Oklahoma and the Midwest with their emergency response. He has been the President of the Spill Control Association of America since November of 2010. Prior to taking the reins as President, he served on the SCAA Board of Directors for 5 years.

15 Mar 2012

Spill Control Association Names New Directors

From left to right: John Allen, SCAA Executive Director; Mike Gallagher, Harry Bedrossian, Devon Grennan and Andrew Altendorf, SCAA President (Photo: SCAA).

The Spill Control Association of America (SCAA), a professional association representing oil spill removal organizations (OSRO), spill managers, qualified individuals, consultants, equipment and material manufacturers, distributors, insurers, and educational and governmental organizations, announced the appointment of three new SCAA Directors and the renewal of a fourth Director for another two-year term. The appointments were announced at the Annual Meeting on March 8 in Alexandria, Va.

11 Jan 2012

SCAA Relocates and Names Executive Director

John Allen, Executive Director of SCAA

Spill control Association of america Relocates to Metro Washington, DC and names new Executive Director. Spill Control Association of America (SCAA), a professional association representing oil spill removal organizations (OSRO), spill managers/qualified individuals, consultants, equipment and material manufacturers, distributors, insurers, and educational and governmental organizations, announced today that it has relocated its headquarters to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia from Bel Air, Maryland.

24 Feb 2011

American Salvage Assoc. Recognizes SMFF Implementation

After a nearly 20-year wait since the original issuance of the OPA-90 regulatory package, the American Salvage Association (ASA) expressed its recognition for the final implementation of Salvage and Marine Firefighting Regulations (SMFF), 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 155 Subpart I, for tank vessels that went into effect on February 22, 2011. From the Exxon Valdez spill that prompted OPA-90, to the 1996 promulgation of Vessel Response Plan (VRP) regulations requiring contracts with Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSRO), to the first public workshop held by the Coast Guard in 1997 to address the need for well-defined salvage regulations, to the final rule being published on December 31, 2008, the road to final implementation has been long.

11 Feb 2009

Salvage and marine firefighting

Chief Warrant Officer Guy Inzunza rides a stage to the sea bed during a dive from the Military Sealift Command rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp.

On New Year’s Eve, 2008, the US Coast Guard issued its long-awaited regulations regarding salvage and marine firefighting. While there are various points of criticism, overall the rulemaking is an excellent advance over the current situation of preparing in advance for marine casualties that implicate salvage and firefighting. The owners or operators of a tank vessel that carries or is designed to carry Group I-IV oils as cargo in bulk has until July 1, 2010 to revise its vessel response plan (VRP) and submit it to the Coast Guard for consideration and approval.

23 May 2002

Salvage and Firefighting Proposal Would Cost $500 Million

A new Coast Guard proposal that would require tank vessel owners to augment their spill response plans with prearranged salvage and firefighting resources would cost industry nearly half a billion dollars to implement, the Coast Guard estimates. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), published in the May 10 Federal Register, is intended to stimulate the development of a robust private salvage and firefighting capability in the United States. The NPRM would require holders of approved tank vessel response plans to amend their plans to included pre-contracted access to an extensive suite of salvage and firefighting resources, all capable of being on scene within specified response times.

04 Mar 2005

U.S. Requires Nontank Vessel Response Plans

The U.S. Coast Guard recently issued interim guidance for the development and review of oil spill response plans for nontank vessels. Since 1993, tank vessels have carried oil spill response plans. A recent legislative change will soon mandate similar response plans for most other ships. The problem is that the legislation requires nontank vessels to have the response plans sooner than the Coast Guard can promulgate regulations in accordance with standard procedures. Thus, the agency is unofficially advising stakeholders on how to comply with the legislation. Stakeholders will ignore the unofficial advice at their peril. The legislation has real teeth.

02 Mar 2000

USCG to Release Response Plan Information on Internet

The USCG will proceed with its plan to make general information on tank vessel response plans available to the public via the Internet. However, the agency has clarified the information released will not include technical or operational details such as vessel plans and diagrams, phone numbers or addresses of qualified individuals, specific information on vessel cargoes or routes, or contractual details of a vessel owner's arrangements with oil spill removal organizations. Because information contained in vessel response plans is covered by the Freedom of Information Act, the USCG is required to make it available to the public, unless it is covered by one of the Act's listed exemptions.