After a grounding in OPA 90 waters, what extra assistance can a ship get to minimize the risk of fuel oil leaking into the sea?
Suitable equipment for lightening the ship.
Following an oil spill, you will be required to “mitigate” the pollution. Which of the following best describes the meaning of “mitigate”?
To move to another place.
How can an oil tanker sail in OPA 90 waters without an approved Vessel Response Plan (VRP)? Pick the answer you think is best:
It is only making one port call in the United States.
It is on “innocent passage”.
It has been in service less than 3 months and its VRP has been submitted but not yet approved.
It is only visiting an offshore oil terminal.
How does a ship’s OPA 90 Vessel Response Plan (VRP) affect its ability to discharge in a US terminal where it has never been before?
The ship can only load in new terminals, unless permission has been granted by the US Coast guard.
The ship can only operate in areas which are covered by its VRP.
The ship can only discharge in new terminals, if permission has been granted by the US Coast guard.
Ships can discharge non-oil cargoes without restrictions, but not oil cargoes.
How long are you allowed to take to test all parts of your ship’s Vessel Response Plan according to OPA 90?
All parts within 3 years.
During a major exercise lasting no more than 12 hours.
During a major exercise lasting no less than 3 hours.
All parts within a calendar year.
How long do you have to keep records of OPA 90 drills and exercises?
How long must you keep records of OPA 90 training onboard?
Until that crew member has gone on leave.
How often must the ship review an OPA 90 Vessel Response Plan?
At least once every 5 years.
When a change is required.
How often must you conduct Qualified Individual notification drills while your ship is in OPA 90 waters?
If you carry out a remote assessment and consultation exercise while in OPA 90 waters how long should it take to get advice back from shore?
Ships over 300 GT which are trading to US ports need to have a COFR. What does COFR stand for?
Contract for Oil Fuel Removal.
Contract for Oil Fuel Responsibility.
Certificate of Final Rescue.
Certificate of Financial Responsibility.
What assistance can a ship covered by OPA 90 get to minimize the risk of oil pollution during a fire onboard?
Radio advice from the local Coast Guard Commander.
No assistance until the ship is berthed.
Radio advice from the local shoreside fire brigade chief.
Boarding by trained shoreside firefighters.
What can a Federal On Scene Coordinator do if they are not satisfied with your contractor’s response to an oil spill from a ship in OPA 90 waters?
They can change your Qualified individual if they do not like them.
They will gather evidence for a prosecution.
They can replace your contractor with another one if they do not like them.
They can demand changes to the pre-planned response in exceptional circumstances.
What has happened to pollution from oil spills since OPA 90 was introduced?
There have been more oil spills.
The proportion of oil spilled is about 64 % less than before.
The number of oil spills has gone down but their size has gone up.
The amount of oil shipped has gone down.
What is the longest period that an OPA 90 Vessel Response Plan can go before needing to be re-approved by the US Coast Guard?
Until there is an important change made to it.
What must be done during a Qualified Individual notification drill? Pick the answer you think is best:
Contact the Qualified Individual as required by the VRP and get confirmation that they responded.
Contact the Qualified Individual in any way possible.
Contact the Qualified Individual using all of the ways required by the VRP.
Contact the Qualified Individual by email or fax so you can save them as proof that the drill was carried out.
Which of the following are the benefits of quickly notifying the authorities of oil pollution in OPA 90 waters? Select any that apply:
You may be accused of gross negligence.
Which of the following are required on tankers trading in OPA 90 waters? Select any that apply:
High level alarms in each bunker tank.
Drip trays under cargo manifolds.
Coamings fitted around the cargo area.
The ability to transfer cargo from tank to tank.
Which of the following best defines a Worst Case Discharge (WCD) for a ship?
Any oil discharge in adverse weather conditions.
A discharge in adverse weather conditions of a vessel’s entire oil fuel and cargo.
A discharge of heavy oil cargo.
A discharge of the vessel’s entire oil cargo within a river.
Which of the following best describes the area covered by OPA 90 regulations?
The seas up to 200 miles from the coast of the mainland United States.
The inland waters of the United States, and the seas within its 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
The seas up to 12 miles from the coast of the United States and its island territories.
The inland waters of the United States, and the seas up to 12 miles out.
Which of the following best describes the main job of a Federal On Scene Coordinator during an oil spill in OPA 90 waters?
They will monitor your QI’s management of the clean-up.
They will control every aspect of the clean-up.
They will gather evidence for a prosecution.
They will translate messages between the crew and the US Coast Guard.
Which of the following best describes the maximum penalty for a ship trading to a US port without a Certificate of Financial Responsibility?
The ship may be seized and sold.
A fine of $30 000 per week.
A fine of $30 000 per visit.
Which of the following best describes the role of a US Coast Guard Strike Team during a noxious liquid spill from a ship?
They can assist with the clean-up, if called upon by the On Scene Coordinator.
They will control every aspect of the clean-up.
They will gather evidence for a prosecution.
They will carry out the clean-up.
Which of the following best describes the role of your Qualified Individual (QI) in meeting OPA 90 requirements?
They have full authority to arrange whatever is needed to prevent an oil spill, or clean one up.
They have passed the US Coast Guard’s Qualified Individual examination.
They have passed the IMO’s Qualified Individual examination.
They have the operator’s to sign a Lloyd’s Open Form salvage contract.
Which of the following best describes where the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund gets its money since OPA 90 came into force?
From an oil shipment tax and from fines for oil pollution.
From fines for oil pollution.
From an oil shipment tax.
From a tax on fuels for transportation.
Which of the following describes one of the main problems experienced when dealing with the oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez?
Government and industry response plans proved to be unable to handle the spill.
The Alaskan government ran out of money.
The ship exploded and caught fire.
Which of the following does your ship’s Qualified Individual need to know about? Select any that apply:
The types of cargoes your ship carries.
The name of the local ship chandler.
The capabilities of your Oil Spill Removal Organization.
Which of the following factors made it very hard to clean-up the oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez? Select any that apply:
The number of fishing vessels.
Which of the following is the best way to find out your ship’s minimum stock of oil clean-up materials for OPA 90 purposes?
Look in the ship’s Vessel Response Plan.
Get a copy of OPA 90 from the internet.
Get a copy of OPA from the ship’s agent.
Ask the Designated Person Ashore for a list.
Which of the following should be notified first of a probable oil spill from a ship in OPA 90 waters?
The National Response Center in Washington DC.
Your Qualified Individual.
Your Designated Person Ashore.
Which of the following should be provided by the marine firefighting service listed in your ship’s Vessel Response Plan? Select any that apply:
Remote assessment and consultation.
External fire fighting teams.
External ship fire fighting systems.
Which of the following should be provided by the salvage service listed in your ship’s Vessel Response Plan? Select any that apply:
Remote assessment and consultation.
Which of the following was one of the important findings in the report into the Exxon Valdez accident?
Prevention is the first line of defense.
Oil shipments from Alaskan ports should be banned.
Oil tankers should be restricted in size.
All oil tankers should be fitted with inert gas systems.
Which of the following will your Vessel Response Plan tell you to notify the authorities? Select any that apply:
Oil is in danger of leaking from a cracked bunker tank.
Oil is discharged overboard to save the ship.
An oily water separator discharge exceeding MARPOL limits.
The oily water separator shut down at 15 ppm.
Which of the following would be the best choice to deal with media enquiries after an oil spill from a ship in OPA 90 waters?
Someone appointed by the ship operator.
The Federal On Scene Coordinator.
The ship’s safety officer.
Which of the following would you expect to find in a Vessel Response Plan BUT NOT in a Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan?
Procedures for the crew to deploy discharge removal equipment.
Procedures for ship-to-ship transfers of cargo.
The crew’s responsibilities to supervise shore-based response.
Pollution control measures.
Which of the following could be the result of you being found “grossly negligent” during an oil pollution incident within OPA 90 waters?
Your company could face unlimited liability, putting it out of business.
You could be given a reward by the Department of Justice.
You maximum fine could be doubled.
Your maximum prison sentence could be tripled.
Which one of the following describes what action should be taken after an oil spill during bunkering in the USA has been cleaned up?
The effectiveness of the Vessel Response Plan should be reviewed.
The next emergency response drill should cover bunker spills.
The next spill emergency response drill need not be carried out.
The chief engineer should be disciplined.
Which one of the following happened to the Exxon Valdez, causing her to spill her cargo of oil?
She had exploded and caught fire.
Which one of the following is a recognised sign that oil pollution is serious enough for you to notify the authorities while your ship is in OPA 90 waters?
A visible oil sheen on the water.
A 1 millimeter oil film on the water.
A 3 millimeter oil film on the water.
You need to see a stream of oil flowing into the water from your ship.
Which one of the following is a rule for oil tankers that was introduced by OPA 90?
They need to be built with double hulls.
They need high capacity cargo pumps.
They need to have GPS and electronic charts.
Which one of the following shipping accidents led to the introduction of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to the USA?
Which one of the following would you expect to contact your Oil Spill Response Organization (OSRO) after your ship had an oil spill in OPA 90 waters?
Your Qualified Individual.
The Designated Person Ashore (DPA).
Which ships are required by OPA 90 to have a Vessel Response Plan? Pick answer you think is best:
All tankers and other ships over 400 GT.
Tankers over 150 GT and other ships over 400 GT.
Which ships need to report any oil pollution seen to the National Response Center in Washington? Pick the answer you think is best:
All ships in Washington State waters.
All tankers and other ships over 400 GT.
Why can your OPA 90 Vessel Response Plan list several Salvage and Marine firefighting service providers? Pick the answer you think is best:
US competition rules require that more than one provider be used.
Each US State uses a different provider.
The cheapest provider will be chosen when the incident happens.
Assistance must be provided within specified times so the providers must be near if there is an incident.
Why did the report into the Exxon Valdez recommend that OPA 90 require an effective response to oil pollution? Pick the answer you think is best:
It recognised that there were not enough double hull tankers available to serve the US oil market.
It decided that insurance would not cover the costs of cleaning up spills.
It saw that there were no response plans before Exxon Valdez.
It recognised that while oil is transported some spills are inevitable.
Why is it necessary to comply with rules which are extra to OPA 90 when visiting some States in the USA? Pick the answer you think is best:
Insurance in some States is more expensive than others.
Some States don’t like foreign ships in their ports.
The water in some States is used for drinking.
The US legal system allows states to make extra laws, provided they do not contradict federal laws.
Why, under OPA 90, can the nearest salvage tug capable of towing your ship be stationed further away than the nearest oil skimming machine? Pick the answer you think is best:
An oil skimmer must be carried onboard each ship.
Salvage tugs of the right power are not always available in the US.
The ship may be in water that is not deep enough for the tug.
Small pollution discharges must be dealt with in shorter times than worst case discharges.
You are given new duties in the event of an oil spill. How can you find out if you need extra training to meet OPA 90 requirements? Select any that apply:
Check the company’s promotion matrix.
Check the emergency stations poster.
Check the Vessel Response Plan.
Check the Safety Management Manual.
Your Vessel Response Plan lists more than one Qualified Individual. Why is this? Select any that apply:
Different Qualified Individuals are used in different time zones so one is always at work.
The Qualified Individual lives in an area with poor cell phone service.
An alternate is required to provide round the clock cover.
There are different Qualified Individuals for different areas.
Your Vessel Response Plan lists “COTP Zones”. What does COTP stand for?
Capacity Of The Pollution.
Clean-up Of The Pollution.
Central Operations for Transport Pollution.
Your ship is moved away from OPA 90 waters for a 2 year contract. What are the requirements for OPA 90 drills and checks before returning to a US port?
Drills and other checks required by OPA 90 must be started again after re-entering OPA waters.
The drills and other checks required by OPA 90 must be carried out, even when not in OPA waters.
All drills and other checks required by OPA 90 must be up to date before re-entering OPA 90 waters.
The drills and other checks required by OPA 90 are still carried out, but at double the time interval.