(a) All persons subject to title I of the Act are hereby granted a general permit to transport vessels from the United States, and all departments, agencies, or instrumentalities of the United States are hereby granted a general permit to transport vessels from any location for the purpose of disposal in the ocean subject to the following conditions:

(1) Except in emergency situations, as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the U.S. Coast Guard, the person desiring to dispose of a vessel under this general permit shall, no later than 1 month prior to the proposed disposal date, provide the following information in writing to the EPA Regional Administrator for the Region in which the proposed disposal will take place:

(i) A statement detailing the need for the disposal of the vessel;

(ii) Type and description of vessel to be disposed of and type of cargo normally carried;

(iii) Detailed description of the proposed disposal procedures;

(iv) Information on the potential effect of the vessel disposal on the marine environment; and

(v) Documentation of an adequate evaluation of alternatives to ocean disposal (i.e., scrap, salvage, and reclamation).

(2) Transportation for the purpose of ocean disposal may be accomplished under the supervision of the District Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard or his designee.

(3) Except in emergency situations, as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the District Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard, appropriate measures shall be taken, prior to disposal, by qualified personnel to remove to the maximum extent practicable all materials which may degrade the marine environment, including without limitation (i) emptying of all fuel lines and fuel tanks to the lowest point practicable, flushing of such lines and tanks with water, and again emptying such lines and tanks to the lowest point practicable so that such lines and tanks are essentially free of petroleum, and (ii) removing from the hulls other pollutants and all readily detachable material capable of creating debris or contributing to chemical pollution.

(4) Except in emergency situations, as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the U.S. Coast Guard, the dumper shall, no later than 10 days prior to the proposed disposal date, notify the EPA Regional Administrator and the District Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard that the vessel has been cleaned and is available for inspection; the vessel may be transported for dumping only after EPA and the Coast Guard agree that the requirements of paragraph (a)(3) of this section have been met.

(5) Disposal of these vessels shall take place in a site designated on current nautical charts for the disposal of wrecks or no closer than 22 kilometers (12 miles) from the nearest land and in water no less than 50 fathoms (300 feet) deep, and all necessary measures shall be taken to insure that the vessels sink to the bottom rapidly and that marine navigation is not otherwise impaired.

(6) Disposal shall not take place in established shipping lanes unless at a designated wreck site, nor in a designated marine sanctuary, nor in a location where the hulk may present a hazard to commercial trawling or national defense (see 33 CFR part 205).

(7) Except in emergency situations, as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the U.S. Coast Guard, disposal of these vessels shall be performed during daylight hours only.

(8) Except in emergency situations, as determined by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the District Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Captain-of-the-Port (COTP), U.S. Coast Guard, and the EPA Regional Administrator shall be notified forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the proposed disposal. In addition, the COTP and the EPA Regional Administrator shall be notified by telephone at least twelve (12) hours in advance of the vessel's departure from port with such details as the proposed departure time and place, disposal site location, estimated time of arrival on site, and the name and communication capability of the towing vessel. Schedule changes are to be reported to the COTP as rapidly as possible.

(9) The National Ocean Service, NOAA, Nautical Data Branch, N/CS26, Station 7308, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, shall be notified in writing, within one week, of the exact coordinates of the disposal site so that it may be marked on appropriate charts.

(b) [Reserved]

[42 FR 2489, Jan. 11, 1977, as amended at 84 FR 31517, July 2, 2019]