FSO-Marine Safety

Kyle George
A member of The Auxiliary and Flotilla 14-8 since 2010
email: kyle_i_george@yahoo.com

The Marine Safety and Environmental Protection Department is responsible for the planning and administration of Auxiliary programs to support the Coast Guard's Marine Safety and Marine Environmental Protection Directorate's Programs.

 This support includes, but is not limited to, support for marine environmental response assistance, port safety and security inspections, commercial vessel safety and security inspections (UTV, UPV, CFVE and other Foreign and Domestic Vessels) container inspection assistance, mariner licensing/documentation/course audits, public affairs, area contingency planning, waterways management, MDA/America's Waterways Watch, MISLE support, and environmental education.

Latest News and Updates

Florida Clean Marina Program (FL-CMP) Boat Cleaning and Painting:  
(For more information about the Clean Marina Program see this article)

Last month I briefly introduced the most general part of FL-CMP and said we would return to more strict sections such as fueling and boat cleaning. This month we will focus on boat cleaning. First, we need to understand that participation in the FL-CMP does not add any regulations to the marina; it simply brings them in compliance with current state and federal regulations.

If work is done by the boatyard or marina staff, then one set of regulations apply. Rinsing, at the very least, should be in designated areas designed to prevent discharge of rinse water to surface water (e.g. over a 4

permeable surface which allows water to percolate through soil before returning to the water body). Solids and debris should be picked up from the soil surface to prevent contamination of storm water. Pressure washing and sanding add more wrinkles. In most cases, paint chips or dust must be treated as hazardous waste. Brooks Busey, at Sadler Point Marina, says they installed a recirculating pressure wash system that filters out solids and reuses the water for the next wash. All sanding must be done with vacuum sanders or inside tents to keep the dust from accumulating on the ground and getting washed or blown into nearby waters. Again the dust must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Rags soaked in conventional solvents (those containing "listed" chemicals) also fall into the hazardous waste category. Marinas are encouraged to use alternative solvents that do not contain listed chemicals. Hazardous waste must be stored separately and delivered to a proper recycling or disposal facility. There are different levels of hazardous waste accumulation with different levels of regulation.

If work is done by boat owners or off-site contractors, then the marina must educate them about the regulations, however, the marina is not responsible for compliance. Sadler Point asks all do-it-yourselfers to sign a work agreement that contains their environmental policy and regulations. The agreement is available online at: www.sadlerpoint.com/work order back page.pdf

Notes from Marc Lang - The Good Samaritan Law requires that if you are involved in a marine casualty or come upon a distressed vessel or person you must render assistance, PROVIDED you can do so without serious threat of damage to your vessel or passengers. In fact, there up to $1000 in fines or 2 years in prison if you don’t. The same law that protects us as Coast Guard Auxiliary protects you as an individual should you damage the vessel you are assisting, PROVIDED the harm was not caused by willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence or indifference to the safety of the person being assisted.

There are new EPA requirements on the horizon. Beginning January 1, 2009 boat builders have to start using a low permeation (less porous) fuel hose. Portable fuel tanks, including those on PWCs must meet the new EPA permeation standard by 2011 and fixed tanks by 2012. Venting requirements will also change in order to reduce emissions. Carbon canisters will be required in the fuel vent hoses and portable tanks will no longer be able to vent to the atmosphere (no manual vent) without some type of filter or canister. More information is available at www.epa.gov.

New Products- Stormy Seas makes parkas, rain gear, jackets and vests that "Inflate." They are equipped with a 35 lb buoyancy inflation system that is manual or water activated. The down side, none are USCG Approved. www.stormyseas.com, www.boathelpers.com Website containing products and services for all states. Pick the state and it goes from A-accessories to W winterizing www.Ahoycaptain.com Website with boating accessories.