The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) applauded the US Coast Guard for issuing a Policy Letter providing a transparent and expedited process for domestic offshore energy vessels to participate in disaster recovery activities.
The letter will provide a transparent pathway for U.S. offshore energy vessels to participate in disaster recovery activities, increasing US’s domestic response capabilities.
The Policy Letter provides guidelines for when and under what circumstances and conditions the USCG shall consider equivalencies and exemptions so that domestic offshore energy vessels can participate in disaster recovery operations and provides a pathway that vessel owners should utilize to request such equivalencies and exemptions.
The Policy Letter represents another chapter of OMSA and the USCG working together to provide U.S. vessel responses to natural disasters. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, several Louisiana-based energy vessels attempted to carry cargo to Puerto Rico or between ports within Puerto Rico. While these vessels were capable of safely completing these tasks, many were turned back due to strict or differing interpretations of USCG regulations.
To prevent this situation in the future, OMSA proposed that the USCG utilize its industry advisory committee, the National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee (NOSAC) to study how offshore energy vessels could be safely utilized to provide disaster assistance.
NOSAC accepted OMSA’s proposals and in 2019 NOSAC produced a report entitled, “Use of Offshore Supply Vessels (OSVs) and other vessels in restoration and recovery efforts,” written by NOSAC members Chad Fuhrmann and Terry Bono.
The NOSAC report recommended in pertinent part:
- The USCG apply the District 8 (the USCG District covering the Gulf of Mexico) Policy Letter 09-2001 nationwide. This policy letter provides a pathway for offshore energy vessels to participate in other industries by spelling out reasonable design, mission, and capability requirements on such vessels.
- The USCG create and publish explicit instructions outlining how vessel operators may become a preapproved disaster response resource.
- That USCG redefine the phrase “international voyage” to clarify that a U.S. vessel is not on an international voyage when it sails from the U.S. mainland to Puerto Rico.