OPA 90 Salvage & Marine Firefighting
Coverage Map
Overview
The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) was signed into law in August 1990, in response to the public concern following the Exxon Valdez oil spill incident. The Act improved the nation’s ability to prevent and respond to oil spills by establishing provisions to respond. Resolve Marine OPA 90 SMFF Program enables ship owners trading in U.S. waters to comply with statutory United States Coast Guard (USCG) Salvage and Marine Fire Fighting requirements.
Resolve’s coverage is based on cascading resources from a network of salvage bases including Resolve and our network contractors’ facilities in the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our equipment includes portable pump systems for offloading the largest cargo tanks in 24 hours and external firefighting systems sized to deliver the proscribed quantities of extinguishing materials. Resolve salvage professionals including salvage masters, engineers and dive teams are on-call around the clock to promptly initiate casualty assessment and salvage planning when a VRP is activated.
The Resolve Funding Agreement is USCG approved and recognized by the International Group of P&I Clubs. It supports the USCG concern that a casualty response not be delayed by contract negotiations and acknowledges the traditional protections available to ship owners, charterers, cargo owners and their underwriters in settlement of a marine response claim. Our concept is designed to preserve those rights while rationally distributing financial responsibilities to ensure emergency responses are timely and effective.
Drills & Exercises
The updated 2016 National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines that became effective June 10, 2016 now require the following Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) exercises:
- Remote Assessment and Consultation Exercises (RACE)
All VRP/NTVRP planholders with vessels transiting U.S. waters are required to instruct one vessel per plan number to complete this exercise once every three years. The exercise should include a scenario involving marine firefighting every three years. Additionally, according the 2016 NPREP FAQ released on August 15th, U.S. Coast Guard will allow the exercise to be conducted outside of U.S. waters. You may also download our RACE forms here: Client Login - Shore-based Salvage and Marine Firefighting Table Top Exercise (TTX)
This exercise must be completed annually by the vessel response planholder and includes planholders with both tank vessels and non-tank vessels that operate in U.S. waters. In an effort to meet our clients’ needs while reducing travel costs, Resolve has developed a Virtual TTX that is available online. It is hosted live and lasts for approximately 3 hours. You may view and register for our Virtual Table Top Exercises here: Client Login - Salvage Equipment Deployment
Documentation of equipment deployment exercises will be completed by Resolve. A certificate verifying compliance will be sent out to all clients at the end of 2016 to be kept for their records. You may also view our equipment deployment document here: Client Login
For questions regarding required Drills and Exercises please use the below contact information:
Point of Contact: Bryan Alonso
Phone: +1 954-764-8700
Email Remote Assessment and Consultation Exercises: race@resolvemarine.com
Email Shore-based Salvage & Marine Firefighting TTX: opacompliance@resolvemarine.com
Download a copy of our Compliance Brochure:
Client Login
To view our Geographical Specific Appendix (GSA), our Equipment Deployment Exercises Document, Remote Assessment and Consultation Exercise (RACE) Forms, and to register for our Virtual Table Top Exercises click here to log in
Firefighting
Resolve is the only SMFF provider to own and operate its own training academy. The Resolve Maritime Academy was established in 1993 to ensure in‐house firefighting strike teams were readily available and capable of handling fires on tankers and all other types of vessels.
What other providers can demonstrate this level of commitment? We continue to conduct complimentary training to many of our network partners throughout the U.S. including the New York Fire Department.
For more information, please visit the Resolve Maritime Academy website.
