Washington Administrative Code
Title 317 - Ecology, Department of (Marine Safety, Office of)
Chapter 317-40 - Bunkering operations
Section 317-40-050 - Receiving vessel procedures

Universal Citation: WA Admin Code 317-40-050

Current through Register Vol. 24-24, December 15, 2024

Receiving vessel personnel on a covered vessel being refueled in state waters shall comply with the requirements of this section.

(1) Training. Except for a receiving vessel subject to subsection (2) of this section, a receiving vessel's person in charge shall conduct a training session for all personnel with duties under the vessel's oil transfer procedure within 48 hours before a vessel's scheduled bunkering. If personnel not assigned bunkering duties in the oil transfer procedure are assigned such duties, the person in charge shall train such personnel before they assume bunkering responsibilities. Training shall be conducted in a language common to both the person in charge and personnel being trained. The training shall include, but is not limited to, a review of the:

(a) Vessel's preloading plan as described in subsection (3) of this section;

(b) Civil and criminal penalties and liabilities for not complying with federal and state regulations, and for spilling oil in Washington waters;

(c) Vessel's oil transfer procedure, including each person's responsibilities and station;

(d) English phrases and hand signals to communicate the instructions listed in subsection (8)(b) of this section; and

(e) Emergency shutdown procedures described under WAC 317-40-065.

(2) Intrastate operation. A receiving vessel underway in state waters more than 50 percent of the time in a calendar year and that bunkers three or more times in a month shall conduct the training session described in subsection (1) of this section at least once every month.

(a) The receiving vessel's owner or operator shall submit a written schedule of the vessel's operations to the office stating:
(i) The vessel's name, call sign, and official number;

(ii) The typical routes served by the vessel; and

(iii) The typical number of bunkering operations performed in any 30 days.

(b) The receiving vessel's owner or operator shall notify the office in writing within 30 days of making a change in the vessel's typical operations

(3) Preloading plan. The receiving vessel's person in charge shall prepare a preloading plan prior to conducting the training session required under subsection (1) of this section. The person in charge shall ensure that a copy of the plan is posted at a place where the plan is easily seen by, and in a language common to, vessel personnel engaged in bunkering. The preloading plan must include the:

(a) Identification, location and capacity of the vessel's bunker tanks receiving oil;

(b) Level and type of liquid in each bunker tank prior to the scheduled time for bunkering;

(c) Final ullage or innage, and percent of each bunker tank to be filled;

(d) Sequence in which the bunker tanks are to be filled; and

(e) Procedures to regularly monitor all bunker tank levels and valve alignments.

(4) Watchstanders. The vessel's oil transfer procedure must designate a point-of-transfer watch and a deck-rover watch. Each watch must be equipped with two-way communications to communicate with the person in charge and vessel master or officer in charge.

(a) A point-of-transfer watch must remain at the point of connection with the delivering vessel during bunkering.

(b) The primary duty of the deck-rover is to monitor for oil spills on deck or over the side during bunkering. The deck-rover may perform other duties not in conflict with his or her primary duty. The deck-rover shall:
(i) Visually inspect the deck and water near or opposite all bunker tanks and each tank's sounding tube and vent, if accessible; and

(ii) Remain in a position during changing over of tanks or topping off to view any spillage on deck or in the water.

(5) Personnel duties. Except for the deck-rover watch, personnel assigned bunkering responsibilities may perform only those duties assigned while the vessel is bunkering. All personnel assigned to bunkering shall comply with their assigned duties under the vessel's oil transfer procedure and remain at their work stations during topping off.

(6) Vessel access. A receiving vessel must have an accommodation ladder in place to use for access between the receiving and delivering vessels, or between the receiving vessel and facility. If the vessel's master determines that the ladder is inaccessible from the delivering vessel another means of access must be provided that meets the standards established in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as consolidated in 1986 (SOLAS). If the vessel master determines access is not safe due to weather or seastate, the master may allow communication by radio or by means set forth in subsection 8 of this section.

(7) Soundings. The receiving vessel's person in charge shall ensure that he or she receives sounding reports on tank levels according to the monitoring procedure established in the vessel's preloading plan.

(8) Communication.

(a) The receiving vessel's person in charge shall ensure that communication between the receiving and delivering vessel or facility is accomplished either visually and by voice, sound-powered phones, radio, or air horn as required under 33 C.F.R. Sec. 155.785. The receiving vessel's person in charge shall notify the delivering vessel's or facility's person in charge immediately before topping off begins.

(b) The person in charge shall ensure that bunkering personnel know and use English phrases and hand signals to communicate the following instructions during bunkering: "stop," "hold," "okay," "wait," "fast," "slow," and "finish."

Statutory Authority: RCW 88.46.170 and 43.21I.030. 94-16-076, §317-40-050, filed 7/29/94, effective 10/29/94.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Washington may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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