§ 155.1045 Response plan requirements for vessels carrying oil as a secondary cargo.

(a) General information and introduction. This section of the response plan must include—

(1) The vessel's name, country of registry, call sign, official number, and IMO international number (if applicable). If the plan covers multiple vessels, this information must be provided for each vessel;

(2) The name, address, and procedures for contacting the vessel's owner or operator on a 24-hour basis;

(3) A list of COTP zones in which the vessel intends to handle, store, or transport oil;

(4) A table of contents or index of sufficient detail to permit personnel with responsibilities under the response plan to locate the specific sections of the plan; and

(5) A record of change(s) page used to record information on plan updates or revisions.

(6) As required in paragraph (c) of this section, the vessel owner or operator must list in his or her plan the total volume of oil carried in bulk as cargo.

(i) For vessels that transfer a portion of their fuel as cargo, 25 percent of the fuel capacity of the vessel plus the capacity of any oil cargo tank(s) will be assumed to be the cargo volume for determining applicable response plan requirements unless the vessel owner or operator indicates otherwise.

(ii) A vessel owner or operator can use a volume less than 25 percent if he or she submits historical data with the plan that substantiates the transfer of a lower percentage of its fuel capacity between refuelings.

(b) Notification procedures. This section of the response plan must include the following notification information:

(1) A checklist with all notifications, including telephone or other contact numbers, in the order of priority to be made by shipboard or shore-based personnel and the information required for those notifications. Notifications must include those required by—

(i) MARPOL 73/78 and 33 CFR part 153; and

(ii) Any applicable State.

(2) Identification of the person(s) to be notified of a discharge or substantial threat of discharge of oil. If notifications vary due to vessel location, the person(s) to be notified also must be identified in a geographic-specific appendix. This section must separately identify—

(i) The individual(s) or organization(s) to be notified by shipboard personnel; and

(ii) The individual(s) or organization(s) to be notified by shore-based personnel.

(3) The procedures for notifying the qualified individual and alternate qualified individual.

(4) Descriptions of the primary and, if available, secondary communication methods by which the notifications will be made, consistent with the requirements in paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(5) The information that is to be provided in the initial and any follow-up notifications required by paragraph (b)(1) of this section.

(i) The initial notification may be submitted in accordance with IMO Resolution A648(16) “General Principles for Ship Reporting Systems and Ship Reporting Requirements.” It must include at least the following information:

(A) Vessel name, country of registry, call sign, IMO international number (if applicable), and official number (if any);

(B) Date and time of the incident;

(C) Location of the incident;

(D) Course, speed, and intended track of vessel;

(E) Radio station(s) and frequencies guarded;

(F) Date and time of next report;

(G) Type and quantity of oil on board;

(H) Nature and detail of defects, deficiencies, and damage (e.g., grounding, collision, hull failure, etc.);

(I) Details of pollution, including estimate of oil discharged or threat of discharge;

(J) Weather and sea conditions on scene;

(K) Ship size and type;

(L) Actions taken or planned by persons on scene;

(M) Current conditions of the vessel; and

(N) Number of crew and details of injuries, if any.

(ii) After the transmission of the initial notification, as much as possible of the information essential for the protection of the marine environment as is appropriate to the incident must be reported to the appropriate on-scene coordinator in a follow-up report. This information must include—

(A) Additional details on the type of cargo on board;

(B) Additional details on the condition of the vessel and ability to transfer cargo, ballast, and fuel;

(C) Additional details on the quantity, extent and movement of the pollution and whether the discharge is continuing;

(D) Any changes in the on-scene weather or sea conditions; and

(E) Actions being taken with regard to the discharge and the movement of the ship.

(c) Shipboard spill mitigation procedures. This section of the response plan must identify the vessel's total volumes of oil carried in bulk as cargo and meet the applicable requirements of this paragraph as in paragraph (a)(6) of this section.

(1) For vessels carrying 100 barrels or less of oil in bulk as cargo, the plan must include a basic emergency action checklist for vessel personnel including notification and actions to be taken to prevent or mitigate any discharge or substantial threat of such a discharge of oil from the vessel.

(2) For vessels carrying over 100 barrels of oil but not exceeding 5,000 barrels of oil in bulk as cargo, the plan must include—

(i) Detailed information on actions to be taken by vessel personnel to prevent or mitigate any discharge or substantial threat of such a discharge of oil from the vessel due to operational activities or casualties;

(ii) Detailed information on damage control procedures to be followed by vessel personnel;

(iii) Detailed procedures for internal or external transfer of oil in bulk as cargo in an emergency; and

(iv) Procedures for use of any equipment carried aboard the vessel for spill mitigation.

(3) For vessels carrying over 5,000 barrels of oil as a secondary cargo, the plan must provide the information required by § 155.1035(c) for shipboard spill mitigation procedures.

(4) For all vessels, the plan must include responsibilities and actions to be taken by vessel personnel, if any, to initiate a response and supervise shore-based response resources.

(d) Shore-based response activities. This section of the response plan must include the following information:

(1) The qualified individual's responsibilities and authority, including immediate communication with the Federal on-scene coordinator and notification of the oil spill removal organization(s) identified in the plan.

(2) If applicable, procedures for transferring responsibility for direction of response activities from vessel personnel to the shore-based spill management team.

(3) The procedures for coordinating the actions of the vessel owner or operator with the actions of the predesignated Federal on-scene coordinator responsible for overseeing or directing those actions.

(4) The organizational structure that will be used to manage the response actions. This structure must include the following functional areas and must further include information for key components within each functional area:

(i) Command and control;

(ii) Public information;

(iii) Safety;

(iv) Liaison with government agencies;

(v) Spill response operations;

(vi) Planning;

(vii) Logistics support; and

(viii) Finance.

(5) The responsibilities, duties, and functional job description for each oil spill management team member within the organizational structure identified in paragraph (d)(4) of this section.

(e) List of contacts. The name, location, and 24-hour contact information for the following key individuals or organizations must be included in this section or, if more appropriate, in a geographic-specific appendix and referenced in this section:

(1) Vessel owner or operator, and if applicable, charterer.

(2) Qualified individual and alternate qualified individual for the vessel's area of operation.

(3) Vessel's local agent(s), if applicable, for the vessel's area of operation.

(4) Applicable insurance representatives or surveyors for the vessel's area of operation.

(5) Person(s) within the identified oil spill removal organization(s) to notify for activation of the oil spill removal organization(s) identified under paragraph (i)(3) of this section for the vessel's area of operation.

(6) Person(s) to notify for activation of the spill management team.

(f) Training procedures.

(1) This section of the response plan must address the training procedures and programs of the vessel owner or operator. The vessel owner or operator shall ensure that—

(i) All personnel with responsibilities under the plan receive training in their assignments and refresher training as necessary, and participate in exercises required under paragraph (g) of this section. Documented work experience can be used instead of training; and

(ii) Records of this training are maintained aboard the vessel, at the U.S. location of the spill management team, or with the qualified individual. The plan must specify where the records are located.

(2) Nothing in this section relieves the vessel owner or operator from responsibility to ensure that all private shore-based response personnel are trained to meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for emergency response operations in 29 CFR 1910.120.

(g) Exercise procedures. This section of the response plan must address the exercise program carried out by the vessel owner or operator to evaluate the ability of vessel and shore-based personnel to perform their identified functions in the plan. The required exercise frequency for each category of vessel is as follows:

(1) For vessels carrying 100 barrels or less of oil as cargo—

(i) On board spill mitigation procedures and qualified individual notification exercises must be conducted annually; and

(ii) Shore-based oil spill removal organization exercises must be conducted biennially.

(2) For vessels carrying over 100 barrels and up to 5,000 barrels of oil in bulk as cargo—

(i) On board emergency procedures and qualified individual notification exercises must be conducted quarterly; and

(ii) Shore-based oil spill removal organization exercises must be conducted annually.

(3) Vessels carrying over 5,000 barrels of oil in bulk as cargo must meet the exercise requirement of § 155.1060.

(h) Plan review, update, revision, amendment, and appeal procedures. This section of the response plan must address—

(1) The procedures to be followed by the vessel owner or operator to meet the requirement of § 155.1070; and

(2) The procedures to be followed for any post-discharge review of the plan to evaluate and validate its effectiveness

(i) Geographic-specific appendices for each COTP zone in which a vessel operates. A geographic-specific appendix must be included for each COTP zone identified. The appendix must include the following information or identify the location of such information within the plan:

(1) Required Federal or State notifications applicable to the geographic areas in which a vessel operates.

(2) Identification of the qualified individuals.

(3) A list of the oil spill removal organization(s) and the spill management team(s) available to respond to the vessel's worst case oil discharge in each COTP zone in which a vessel operates. The oil spill removal organization(s) identified must be capable of commencing oil spill containment and on-water recovery within the response times listed for Tier 1 in § 155.1050(g); providing temporary storage of recovered oil; and conducting shoreline protection and cleanup operations. An oil spill removal organization may not be identified in the plan unless the organization has provided written consent to being identified in the plan as an available resource.

(j) Appendices for vessel-specific information. This section must include for each vessel covered by the plan the following information:

(1) List of the vessel's principal characteristics (i.e., length, beam, gross tonnage, etc.).

(2) Capacities of all cargo, fuel, lube oil, ballast, and fresh water tanks.

(3) The total volume and cargo groups of oil cargo that would be involved in the—

(i) Maximum most probable discharge; and

(ii) Worst case discharge.

(4) Diagrams showing location of all tanks.

(5) Cargo and fuel piping diagrams and pumping plan as applicable. These diagrams and plans can be maintained separately aboard the vessel providing the response plan identifies the location.

(6) Location of information on the name, description, physical and chemical characteristics, health and safety hazards, and spill and firefighting procedures for the oil cargo aboard the vessel. A material safety data sheet meeting the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1200, SOLAS 74 regulation VI/5–1, cargo information required by 33 CFR 154.310, or the equivalent, will meet this requirement. This information can be maintained separately on board the vessel, providing the response plan identifies the location.

[CGD 91–034, 61 FR 1081, Jan. 12, 1996, as amended by USCG–2010–0194, 80 FR 5933, Feb. 4, 2015]