Table Of ContentC O N F E R E N C E P R O C E E D I N G S 3 0
Marine Salvage
Capabilities
Responding to Terrorist
Attacks in U.S. Ports—
Actions to Improve Readiness
MARINE BOARD
Chair: R. Keith Michel, Herbert Engineering Corporation, Alameda, California
Vice Chair: Geraldine Knatz, Port of Long Beach, California
Larry L. Daggett, Waterway Simulation Technology, Inc., Vicksburg, Mississippi
Peter Finnerty, American Ocean Enterprises, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland
Paul S. Fischbeck, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Martha R. Grabowski, Le Moyne College, Syracuse, and Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Troy, New York
Rodney Gregory, IBM Global Services, Fairfax, Virginia
I. Bernard Jacobson, IBJ Associates, Shelter Island Heights, New York
Ronald K. Kiss, Webb Institute, Glen Cove, New York
Sally Ann Lentz, Ocean Advocates, Clarksville, Maryland
Philip Li-Fan Liu, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
Malcolm MacKinnon III (Admiral, U.S. Navy, Retired), MacKinnon-Searle
Consortium, LLC, Alexandria, Virginia
Reginald E. McKamie, Sr., Houston, Texas
Robert C. North (Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired), North Star Maritime,
Inc., Queenstown, Maryland
Craig E. Philip, Ingram Barge Company, Nashville, Tennessee
Edwin J. Roland, Elmer-Roland Maritime Consultants, Houston, Texas
Jerry R. Schubel, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California
Richard H. Vortmann, National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego,
California
E. G. “Skip” Ward, Offshore Technology Research Center, College Station, Texas
David J. Wisch, ChevronTexaco, Bellaire, Texas
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
2004 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OFFICERS
Chair: Michael S. Townes, President and CEO, Hampton Roads Transit, Virginia
Vice Chair: Joseph H. Boardman, Commissioner, New York State Department of
Transportation, Albany
Division Chair for NRC Oversight: C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell
Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
Executive Director: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board
C O N F E R E N C E P R O C E E D I N G S 3 0
Marine Salvage Capabilities
Responding to Terrorist Attacks in
U.S. Ports—Actions to Improve Readiness
Report of the Committee for Marine Salvage
Response Capability: A Workshop
August 5–6, 2003
Washington, D.C.
TRANSPORTATION
RESEARCH BOARD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
2004
WWW.TRB.org
Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings 30
ISSN 1073-1652
ISBN 0-309-09459-3
Subscriber Categories
IV operations and safety
IX marine transportation
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Preface
Malcolm MacKinnon III, Chair, Committee for Marine Salvage Response Capability:
A Workshop
he U.S. Navy (USN) Office of the Supervisor of and government to consider the status of preparedness
Salvage and Diving (SupSalv) maintains a capa- and suggest steps for improvement if needed.
Tbility to respond to maritime accidents and An ad hoc committee was appointed to plan and
provide ship salvage services in emergencies. conduct the workshop addressing national salvage
Although the office was established primarily to meet response capabilities, with particular attention to the
military needs for search and salvage, it also provides consequences of potential terrorist incidents affecting
services to meet certain commercial emergency sal- operations in U.S. ports and waterways. Issues that
vage needs. The Navy has overall responsibility for were considered include organizational and interagency
ensuring that the nation has salvage capabilities on all coordination as well as response capabilities. The work-
coasts to respond to disasters and to protect the pub- shop addressed economic, legal, forensic, environmen-
lic interest. Within this context, SupSalv is responsi- tal, and human casualty issues related to salvage. The
ble for emergency marine salvage preparedness in the principal goals of the workshop were (a) to share infor-
event of a terrorist incident in U.S. ports and water- mation among relevant agencies, organizations, and
ways, and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has a broad other interested parties concerning current salvage
responsibility for homeland security, including the response capabilities and (b) to determine if there are
nation’s seaports. any major gaps or concerns with respect to current
The United States is a world trade leader with an capabilities and agency roles.
economy increasingly dependent on ocean transporta- The committee membership included experts in
tion and the vitality of ports and waterways. If a terror- marine salvage, port and waterways management, port
ist-related or other incident results in the blockage of a and harbor safety, ship operations and management,
harbor or waterway, emergency towing vessels, salvage marine and transportation engineering systems, risk
vessels, experienced divers, and other professionals must assessment and management, and environmental issues.
be available to respond. In recognition of this need, it Members had backgrounds in marine salvage response
was decided to evaluate the status of U.S. marine salvage and capability as well as in legal, economic, and envi-
response capabilities, particularly with respect to poten- ronmental issues; and they understood agency missions
tial terrorist-related incidents that could affect commer- and interagency coordination and communications
cial and military operations in U.S. harbors and efforts required for effective, efficient salvage response.
waterways. The National Academies’ Marine Board The committee met before the workshop to develop
within the Transportation Research Board was asked by the workshop agenda and prepare a list of invitees. In
SupSalv to assist in the evaluation by conducting a meetings following the workshop, the committee
workshop involving salvage experts in both industry reviewed information presented at the workshop and
v
v i M A R I N E S A L V A G E C A P A B I L I T I E S
developed resulting conclusions and recommendations The project was conducted under the overall supervi-
for future action. These proceedings contain a summary sion of Joedy Cambridge, Marine Board Staff Director.
of workshop discussions and committee recommenda- Beverly Huey and Pete Johnson managed the project and
tions highlighting important topics and issues that war- drafted the report under the guidance of the committee.
rant further, more detailed inquiry by the responsible The committee gratefully acknowledges the work and sup-
federal agencies. port of Suzanne Schneider, Associate Executive Director of
TRB, who managed the review process; of Naomi
Kassabian, Editor; of Jennifer J. Weeks, Senior Editorial
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Assistant; and of Javy Awan, Director of Publications.
The report was reviewed in draft form by individuals
The work of this committee has been greatly helped by chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical
the thoughtful advice and background information pro- expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by
vided by all of the participants in the workshop (who are the National Research Council’s Report Review
listed in Appendix B) as well as by other government and Committee. The purpose of this independent review is
industry officials who were consulted during the study. to provide candid and critical comments that will assist
The committee gratefully acknowledges the contributions the institution in making the published report as sound
of time and information provided by the sponsor liaisons as possible and to ensure that the report meets institu-
and the many individuals within and outside government tional standards for objectivity, evidence, and respon-
who are interested or involved in port security and salvage siveness to the study charge. The review comments and
issues. The committee would particularly like to thank the draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the
liaison representatives Capt. James R. Wilkins, USN, and integrity of the deliberative process.
Richard Buckingham, Naval Sea Systems Command, who The committee thanks the following individuals for
responded promptly and with a generous spirit to the their review of this report: Stephen E. Flynn, Council on
committee’s requests for information. Foreign Relations, New York; Jacqueline Michel, Research
The committee is especially indebted to the salvage Planning, Inc., Columbia, South Carolina; RADM John
industry representatives, researchers, and scientists who Brad Mooney, Jr., J. Brad Mooney Associates, Austin,
provided input to the committee. In particular, the com- Texas; and Malcolm Spaulding, University of Rhode
mittee thanks Capt. Richard P. Fiske of the MacKinnon- Island. Although these reviewers provided many construc-
Searle Consortium, LLC, and Richard Fredericks, Director tive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to
of the American Salvage Association, for their helpful endorse the findings and conclusions, nor did they see the
advice. Special thanks are also extended to RADM final draft before its release.
Thomas Gilmour, USCG; Michael Kidby, U.S. Army The review of this report was overseen by C. Michael
Corps of Engineers; Mark Johnson, Department of Home- Walton, University of Texas, Austin. Appointed by the
land Security; Steve Krueger and Mark Whitworth, National Research Council, he was responsible for
Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Capt. James R. making certain that an independent examination of this
Wilkins, USN, who participated in the federal agency report was carried out in accordance with institutional
panel at the workshop, and to Cappy Bisso, Roger Elliott, procedures and that all review comments were carefully
Mauricio Garrido, James Shirley, Jr., Robert Umb- considered. Responsibility for the final content of this
denstock, and J. Arnold Witte, who participated in the report rests entirely with the authoring committee and
industry panel at the workshop. the institution.
Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................7
Background, 8
Approach, 8
Hypothetical Terrorist Scenarios, 9
Panel Discussion Topics, 9
Organization of the Report, 10
SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS......................................................................................................11
Physical Salvage and Harbor Clearance Issues, 12
Financial, Economic, and Political Issues, 14
Legal, Forensic, and Human Casualty Issues, 16
Environmental Issues, 17
COMMITTEE ASSESSMENT OF RESPONSE CAPABILITIES BASED ON WORKSHOP DISCUSSIONS ...........................19
Status of Physical Salvage Response Capabilities, 19
Overview of Current Response Plans, 24
Current Response Organizational Structures, 24
Utility of Exercises or Drills, 25
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE SALVAGE READINESS............................................................28
Inventory of Salvage Assets, 29
Marine Salvage Response Exercises, 29
Revision of Salvage Response Organizational Structures, 30
Study of Legislative, Regulatory, and Policy Issues, 30
APPENDIX A
MARINE SALVAGE RESPONSE CAPABILITY WORKSHOP: AGENDA...................................................................32
APPENDIX B
MARINE SALVAGE RESPONSE CAPABILITY WORKSHOP: PARTICIPANTS ...........................................................34
STUDY COMMITTEE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION .....................................................................................37
