Oil spill prevention resources for the maritime industry

This page contains oil spill prevention resources for the maritime industry. The information here includes best practices to reduce oil spill risk, case studies with lessons learned, and Washington state inspection checklists and regulation.

I want to...

See Prevention resources
See Standards and checklists
See Regulatory requirements

Vessel oil spill prevention resources

These resources include lesson learned and best practices to reduce the frequency and severity of oil spills and accidents.

General resources

Publication	Topic
11-08-004	Inspecting Vessels for Substantial Risk
99-1303	Fatigue and Maritime Operations
11-08-005	Emergency Checklists
09-08-013	Safe access to vessels
14-08-006	Preventing Vessel Emergencies in Washington Waters
18-08-019	Vessel Loss of Propulsion Incidents
99-253	Mobile Phone Use and Marine Operations
06-08-003	Emergency Towing

Deck resources

Publication	Topic
98-245	Voyage Planning with ECDIS
99-1302	Bridge Resource Management
22-08-008	Pre-Arrival and Departure Checklists for Deck Officers
00-08-004	Deep Water Anchoring
00-08-003	Safety Advisory Bulletin 96-01: Shifting a Ship by Warping

Engineering resources

Publication	Topic
22-08-009	Pre-Arrival and Departure Checklists for Engineering Officers
00-08-006	Piston Crown Maintenance
00-08-007	Importance of Preventive Maintenance
98-252	Shipboard System Modifications
00-08-015	Importance of Identifying and Addressing the Root Causes of Equipment Malfunction

Washington State Contingency Plans and spill reporting, enforcement, and penalties

Publication	Topic
05-08-009	Vessel oil spill penalties
09-08-015	Focus on Multi-Vessel Contingency Plans
16-08-008	Vessel Notification for Threat of Oil Spill
04-08-003	Enforcement

Fishing vessel resources

Publication	Topic
10-08-010	Oil Spill Prevention and Response - An oil spill guide for commercial fishing vessels
23-08-002	Inspecting Fishing Vessels for Substantial Risk

Bunkering and oil transfer spill prevention resources

WAC 317-40 contains Washington’s rule for bunkering and WAC 173-184 contains the rules for transferring oil over water. These Focus Sheets include lesson learned and best practices to prevent oil spills during oil transfers.

Publication	Topic
14-08-007	Bunkering best practice manual
09-08-012	Communication guide for oil transfers (English and Chinese)
99-1307	Internal oil transfers
14-08-008	Marine Oil Transfer Spills and Inattention
16-08-013	Automated tank gauging, high level alarms, and oil spills
11-08-008	Oil transfer system hydrostatic testing
06-08-019	Oil transfer rate Lessons Learned
99-08-010	Lessons Learned from Vessel Fueling Spills
06-08-031	Pre-booming requirements for vessels delivering oil
09-08-013	Safe access to vessels

Standards and checklists

Ecology inspectors board vessels to ensure the unique concerns of Washington State are addressed and our Accepted Industry Standards are understood and implemented. We use Washington state Accepted Industry Standards for Cargo and Passenger vessels and checklists to assess vessels for substantial risk of oil spills.

Cargo and passenger vessel standards and checklists

Publication	Name of Publication
11-08-007	Washington State Accepted Industry Standards for Cargo and Passenger Vessels
050-38	Cargo and Passenger Vessel Boarding Checklist (long form)
050-38a	Cargo and Passenger Vessel Boarding Checklist (short form)

Fishing vessel standards and checklists

Publication	Name of Publication
06-08-008	Washington State Accepted Industry Standards for Fishing Vessels
050-37	Fishing Vessel Boarding Checklist (long form)
070-642	Fishing Vessel Boarding Checklist (short form)

Bunkering checklist

Publication	Topic
050-29	Bunker Operations Monitoring Report

Regulatory requirements (Washington State laws and regulations)

The Department of Ecology Spills Program operates under the authority of Washington State rules and regulations.

Revised Code of Washington (RCW)	Name
RCW 88.46	Vessel oil spill prevention and response
RCW 90.56	Oil and hazardous substance spill prevention and response
RCW 90.48	Water pollution control

Washington Administrative Code (WAC)	Name
WAC 317-10	Vessel contingency plan and response contractor standards
WAC 317-31	Cargo and Passenger Vessels substantial risk
WAC 317-40	Bunkering Operations
WAC 317-50	Financial responsibility for small tank barges and oil spill response barges
WAC 173-184	Vessel oil transfer advance notice and containment requirements
WAC 173-182	Oil spill contingency plan

Contact information

Sara Thompson
Vessel and Oil Transfer Inspection Supervisor
sara.thompson@ecy.wa.gov
360-280-5128

Were you able to find what you were looking for today?*:	Yes No Not sure
What were you trying to find?*:
Please describe your experience. What was challenging? What was helpful? *:	Please include details that will help us address any issues you're reporting. NOTE: There is a 1,500 character limit (including spaces) on this form field.
Was the search tool helpful to you? *:	Yes No I didn't use Search.
How can we improve our website?:	Optional. If you have suggestions, we'd like to hear them! NOTE: There is a 1,500 character limit (including spaces) on this form field.
Your name:	Please include contact information if you'd like a reply.
Email:	If you’d like a reply, please provide an email address.
Phone number:	( ) - Second three digits Last four digits If you’d like us to call you, please provide a phone number.
Which best describes your role in visiting our site today?*:	Business / Consultant / Contractor Government - Local Government - State Government - Federal Government - Tribal Scientist / Researcher Non-profit Washington resident / Public Educator Student Job seeker Ecology employee
PleaseLeaveBlank:	Are you a robot? If not, please do not enter anything in this field.
	ignore
	ignore