Update to U.S. National Response Team's Abandoned Vessels Authorities and Best Practices Guidance

Abstract

The U.S. National Response Team promulgated an interagency guidance document entitled “Abandoned Vessel Authorities and Best Practices Guidance” (AVG) in 2014 to address a myriad of questions that the Federal On-Scene Coordinators and broader response community tend to face when mitigating threats caused by abandoned or derelict vessels. This document compiles information surrounding existing laws, policies, and best practices to inform and advise responders without bogging them down in “legalese” or forcing them to search from document to document to find all the relevant information. In the aftermath of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season and associated responses, the National Response Team tasked its Preparedness Committee to reopen the 2014 AVG to ensure the document addressed the challenges that were brought to light amid the responses. The Committee chartered a working group to systematically review and update this document and incorporate the latest pertinent policy changes, including those from Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that it most thoroughly addressed the gamut of issues a responder may come up against in the arena of abandoned (or derelict, or displaced) vessel management. The updated AVG was completed and approved by the NRT in 2020 and is posted to the NRT website. Major updates include: Considerations for long-term storage and disposal;Clarification on foreign-flagged vessel nuances;Information for responders to consider regarding contaminants other than those covered under NCP/ESF constructs (e.g. if typical response authorities do not cover a scenario, what options might the responder still leverage);An additional section addressing nuances of managing multiple vessel casualties at once, either due to a natural disaster or an act or omission from a third party; andImportant differences between National Contingency Plan and Stafford Act funded/organized responses. This paper dives into the rationale for making changes, the benefits of additions made, the processes and methodologies for undertaking updates, and major elements of the AVG to provide a snapshot of the guidance it affords the reader.