U.S. Navy Ship Salvage Manual Volume 6 - Oil Spill Response

S0300-A6-MAN-060• Large Support Platforms. Unless the SUPSALV spilled oil recovery equipment systemis operated within five miles of a pier-side staging area, a large support vessel isneeded. The support vessel should provide a command post, communications center,messing, berthing, equipment repair facilities, large deck area for equipment and acrane with a minimum capacity of 10 tons. A crane of at least 20 tons is highly desirableoffshore for recovering the 10-ton SUPSALV skimmer vessel on deck for repairsor for heavy weather.• Other Support Vessels. If both the spilled oil recovery system tow vessels are small,large towing vessels will be needed to move the system at eight to ten knots in a transittowing mode to the spill area. Such vessels may also function as logistics support vesselsfor functions such as refueling the smaller vessels, crew transport and towingbarges or bladders of recovered oil. Small, high-speed vessels are also desirable forcrew transport and oil spill surveys. The number of additional recovery system bargesor bladders and towboats needed will depend upon the transit distance between recoveryoperations and the oil disposal site.Barges and tank vessels for recovered oil storage and transport are described in ParagraphC-2.2.5.C-2.2.4 Aircraft Support. Helicopter and/or fixed-wing aircraft support is essential in majorspill oil recovery operations. The aircraft are required for spilled oil tracking, surveys and vectoringrecovery systems to key areas. In addition, equipment and personnel transfer to stranded vesselsin bad weather may be necessary.Such operations are most safely accomplished by vertical replenishment (VERTREP). VERTREPspecialists must be made available to the NOSC and identified in the contingency plan. Helicoptersupport areas or platforms for emergency landings, refueling and maintenance must be identifiedin the contingency plan.C-2.2.5 Storage and Disposal of Recovered Oil. Temporary storage and final disposal of recoveredoil have been found to be among the most difficult aspects of spill control operations. Localand regional contingency plans must include storage and disposal facilities. The Coast Guard,Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local environmental officials should be contactedfor planning guidance.The SUPSALV spilled oil recovery systems and petroleum oil and lubricants (POL) pumping systemscan use locally available barges or tank vessels to receive the recovered or transferred oil.Such oil storage components are often difficult to procure locally. The SUPSALV storage bladderscan provide storage pending the arrival of large-capacity-tank vessels. Locally procured tankvessels should be equipped with pumps, lighting for night operations, anchoring system, a winchand related tackle for hose recovery and shelter for the crew. If required, these barge support element(pumps, lighting, etc.) can be provided from the SUPSALV Emergency Ship Salvage Material(ESSM) inventory.C-7