Resolve Marine enhances OPA 90 compliance offering

Resolve Marine enhances OPA 90 compliance offering

   Resolve Marine Group has introduced Resolve Salvage & Fire, a marine casualty response company that is organized to support tanker operators as they produce new Vehicle Response Plans to comply with the 1990 Oil Pollution Act regulations.

   OPA 90 regulations become fully effective next year.

   The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based firm said the regulatory amendments, recently highlighted by the U.S. Coast Guard, require tanker ship operators to rewrite and submit for approval OPA 90 Vessel Response Plans (VRPs) for their ships carrying petroleum to trade in U.S. waters.

   By June 1, 2010, VRPs must be revised to cite specifically qualified providers of salvage and fire fighting services and resources. The new regulations emphasize that VRPs should show coordination among all services in response to a marine casualty.

   Bob Umbdenstock, Resolve Marine's director of planning, said 'the reorganization strengthens the group's response management capabilities nationwide by expanding our logistics and subcontractor networks to assure that our tanker operating clients will remain in continued compliance with OPA 90.'

   Resolve Marine is already heavily involved in OPA 90 compliance and has been named as the approved responder in more than 5,000 VRPs since the initial requirement was established in 1995.

   In addition to its salvage and marine fire fighting OPA 90 VRP coverage, Resolve Marine also operates 1-Call, an emergency response services package option in association with the National Response Corp., which provides a 'one-stop shop' for tanker operations, the company said.