By Brian Sinausky, Washington State Department of Ecology Spills Program

Imagine you are involved in a transfer operation and notice a sudden change in pressure. How do you react? One option is to ignore it and wait to see if anything else happens, but the better option is to be curious and investigate. During a recent transfer inspection, the PIC on a delivering truck saw a sudden change in pressure and opted to stop the transfer and investigate. He traced the transfer piping down to the receiving vessel’s engine room and found that a valve that was thought to be fully open was in reality only partially open. By stopping the transfer to investigate the pressure change, he was able to rectify the situation without any unfortunate consequences. In addition to demonstrating the value of being observant and curious, the situation also highlights a best practice for fueling vessels to visually verify that applicable valves are open, particularly when using remote valve actuators or reach rods.

By Brian Sinausky, Washington State Department of Ecology

You may not immediately think of waste oil storage drums and barrels when you think about oil spill risks on a fishing vessel.  Waste oil storage drums on deck do however pose a real spill risk, particularly if the drums are repurposed for waste oil storage without first inspecting them for rust or leaks. You can minimize the risk of spills from storage drums and barrels by taking the following actions:

• Thoroughly inspect any container designated to hold waste oil before putting it in service.
• Ensure that all containers on deck are secured properly for sea.
• Place waste oil storage containers on deck within suitable containment.
• Ensure absorbent materials are readily available for use if need.