Fact Sheet – Salvage Plans

If a tanker vessel is damaged in Prince William Sound, a salvage plan may be required. Salvage plans are designed to prevent or limit additional release of cargo to the environment, to plan for the off-loading of remaining cargo aboard the vessel, as well as to move the vessel from the incident scene if needed.

Initial assessment
Immediately after an incident, an initial assessment of the vessel is conducted with salvage, diving, and marine firefighting contractor crews, as necessary. An assessment will:
o Determine the extent of damage to the vessel and any potential risks for further release of product;
o Contain an assessment of the structural integrity of the vessel and any stability concerns; and
o Give a technical perspective on how to safely remedy the situation.

Developing a salvage plan
Salvage plans are living documents that are specific to an incident and can encompass a variety of contingency plans to address all possible solutions and risk factors involved. Based on the inputs from all assessments and diver reports, a draft salvage plan is developed.

Components of a salvage plan
Components of a salvage plan could include, but are not limited to:
o Lightering plans to offload cargo to a different vessel
o Emergency over-the-top tank transfer plans to move product within the tanker
o Transit plans, emergency tow plans, or other mitigation plans as dictated by the incident.

Typical Salvage Strategies May Include:
o Locating and potentially moving the vessel to a sheltered/safe location to complete salvage ops, if needed.
o Repairing/patching the damage to the vessel to make it seaworthy
o Towing to a facility for repairs if the vessel cannot operate under its own power

Pollution control
Remaining cargo on a damaged vessel is typically removed prior to conducting salvage operations, both to ensure stability and to prevent further release. A tanker would undergo decontamination to remove residual oil from the hull prior to being moved.

Approval
The salvage plan is reviewed and approved by the Unified Command and can continually evolve during an incident. Response personnel will adapt as needed based on the input of onsite assessment teams as well as technical experts and agency partners.

Engineering crews will continue to assess the vessel throughout the duration of the response, together with onsite personnel