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.
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
| Topic | What it is |
|---|---|
| Inspecting Vessels for Substantial Risk | Description of Ecology’s vessel inspection program. |
| Fatigue and Maritime Operations | Recommendations on how to reduce fatigue in maritime operations. |
| Emergency Checklists | Emergency checklists best practices and recommendations. |
| Preventing Vessel Emergencies in Washington Waters | Summary of vessel incidents in Washington (2011 to 2014) and tips on how to prevent them. |
| Vessel Loss of Propulsion Incidents | Summary of vessel loss of propulsion incidents in Washington (2012 to 2017) and tips on how to prevent them. |
| Mobile Phone Use and Marine Operations | Tips for avoiding mobile phone distractions. |
| Emergency Towing | Best practices on emergency towing procedures, training, checklists, and drills. |
| Risk Assessments for Vessel Operations | Tips on how to improve vessel risk assessments to better prevent accidents. |
Deck resources
| Topic | What it is |
|---|---|
| Voyage Planning with ECDIS | Best practices for using ECDIS in voyage planning. |
| Bridge Resource Management | Tips for putting bridge resource management into practice. |
| Pre-Arrival and Departure Checklists for Deck Officers | Description of Pre-Arrival and Departure Checklists and tips on how to use them. |
| Deep Water Anchoring | Safety advisory about considerations for using deep water anchorages. |
| Safety Advisory Bulletin 96-01: Shifting a Ship by Warping | Safety advisory about considerations for shifting a ship by warping. |
Engineering resources
| Topic | What it is |
|---|---|
| Pre-Arrival and Departure Checklists for Engineering Officers | Description of Pre-Arrival and Departure Checklists and tips on how to use them. |
| Piston Crown Maintenance | Review of a vessel incident caused by poor piston crown maintenance. |
| Importance of Preventive Maintenance | Review of a vessel incident caused by poor preventative maintenance. |
| Shipboard System Modifications | Review of vessel incidents caused by ill-conceived and/or undocumented shipboard modifications. |
| Importance of Identifying and Addressing the Root Causes of Equipment Malfunction | Review of vessel incidents caused by equipment malfunction. |
Washington State Contingency Plans and Field Documents
| Resource | Topic |
|---|---|
| Ecology Publication | Focus on Multi-Vessel Contingency Plans |
| Ecology Publication | Vessel Notification for Threat of Oil Spill |
| Washington-Specific Multi-Vessel Plan | MFSA Field Document and Notification Placard |
| Washington-Specific Multi-Vessel Plan | NRC Field Document and Notification Placard |
| Washington-Specific Multi-Vessel Plan | WSMC Field Document and Notification Placard |
Fishing vessel resources
| Topic | What it is |
|---|---|
| Oil Spill Prevention and Response - An oil spill guide for commercial fishing vessels | Booklet with spill prevention and response best practices for fishing vessels. |
| Inspecting Fishing Vessels for Substantial Risk | Description of Ecology’s fishing vessel inspection program. |
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.
| Topic | What it is |
|---|---|
| Bunkering best practice manual | Booklet with best practices for bunkering in Washington. |
| Bunkering in Washington State | Washinton-specific requirements for bunkering vessels. |
| Communication guide for oil transfers (English and Chinese) | Visual communication guide for oil transfers. |
| Internal oil transfers | Best practices for internal oil transfers. |
| Marine Oil Transfer Spills and Inattention | Tips on how to prevent oil spills cause by inattention. |
| Automated tank gauging, high level alarms, and oil spills | Review of spills caused by improper use of automated gauging and alarm systems and tips on how to prevent them. |
| Lessons Learned from Vessel Fueling Spills and Oil transfer rate Lessons Learned | Lessons learned from spills that occurred while fueling vessels in Washington. |
| Pre-booming requirements for vessels delivering oil | Summary of Pre-booming Requirements for vessels and facilities delivering oil. |
| Bunkering Safe Access and Pre-Transfer Conferences | Tips on how to stay in compliance with WA State bunkering and pre-transfer conference requirements. |
| Vessel Oil Spill Penalties | Spill penalties outline for Washington State, USCG-Port State & Oregon State. |
| Preventing Spills: Camlock couplings | Tips for preventing oil spills from camlock couplings. |
| Pre-Transfer Conference Job Aid | Tool that Persons in Charge (PICs) may use to ensure their pre-transfer conference includes the discussion topics in WAC 317-40-070 and 33 CFR 156.120 (w). |
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 |
Fishing vessel standards and checklists
| Publication | Name of Publication |
|---|---|
| 06-08-008 | Washington State Accepted Industry Standards for Fishing Vessels |
| 050-37 | Fishing Vessel Inspection Checklist |
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:
- Vessel oil spill prevention and response (RCW 88.46)
- Oil and hazardous substance spill prevention and response (RCW 90.56)
- Water pollution control (RCW 90.48)
- Transport of petroleum products — financial responsibility (RCW 88.40)
- Cargo and Passenger Vessel Substantial Risk (WAC 317-31)
- Vessel contingency plan and response contractor standards (WAC 317-10)
- Bunkering operations (WAC 317-40)
- Financial responsibility (WAC 173-187)
- Vessel oil transfer advance notice and containment requirements (WAC 173-184)
- Oil spill contingency plan (WAC 173-182)
Visit our laws, rules, and rulemaking page for more information about our current rules and rulemaking.
Contact information
Sara Thompson
Vessel and Oil Transfer Inspection Supervisor
sara.thompson@ecy.wa.gov
360-280-5128