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14 MN January 2011 SALVAGE As of February 22, 2011, vessels carry- ing petroleum products in bulk will have to have additional criteria covered in their emergency response plans. In an attempt to increase the salvage and marine fire fighting capabilities in the U.S., vessels will soon need to show proof of coverage indicating that the ves- sel’s operators have the resources available to meet some very stringent requirements (15 in all; see page 16) in the event of an emergency, such as fire, grounding, collision, for every U.S. port the vessel calls and for the areas of tran- sit inside of 50 miles from the coastline. While these new Salvage and Marine Fire Fighting (SMFF) requirements directly impact petroleum carriers, the Coast Guard knows that not just oil tankers have unfortunate events (or carry oil) and these requirements could be extended to all vessels. If a vessel or barge does not have the plans in place for the port it is calling, the vessel may be denied entry into the COTP zone. Or it may be denied movement if the vessel does not have a plan for the port it is in. Items making up the list of the new requirements include: • a pre-fire plan • marine fire fighting response • lightering • damage stability (the means to assess the condi- The New SMFF: Coming to a COTP one Near You By Capt. Katharine Sweeney Photo: USCG Shipboard firefighting.
