November 2013 TO ALL MEMBERS Dear Sirs Washington State – Contingency Plan Requirements Every tank vessel and every other vessel over 300 gt is required to file a contingency plan prior to entry into the waters of Washington State. Instead of filing his own plan, an owner can alternatively subscribe to an umbrella oil spill contingency plan. Changes to Washington State Maritime Co-operative (WSMC) arrangements For a number of years, vessel owners have been able to satisfy the Washington State requirements by enrolling with WSMC. However, the terms of the WMSC enrolment agreement do not conform with International Group (IG) guidelines on Vessel Response Plans. By signing the enrolment agreement there is the potential that they may expose themselves to risks falling outside the scope of Club cover (for which additional insurance may be obtained via the Managers). Under the WSMC arrangements, in the case of a spill, WSMC would manage the spill for the first 24 hours or until relieved by the vessel interest’s own spill management team. In recent years, WSMC has contracted with National Response Corporation (NRC) as the primary response contractor to provide the spill response resources necessary to meet requirements of Washington State law. However, that contract with NRC will end on 31 December 2013. Whilst it will still be possible to enrol with WSMC, the resources of its new primary responder (Global Diving & Salvage, Inc) will not be sufficient to meet the requirements under Washington State law. Therefore, WSMC’s resources will need to be supplemented by the resources of one of the main Oil Spill Response Organisations (OSROs), e.g. the National Response Corporation (NRC) or the Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC).  The Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association Limited Managers Tindall Riley (Britannia) Limited Regis House 45 King William Street London EC4R 9AN T e l +44 (0)20 7407 3588 Fax +44 (0)20 7403 3942 www.britanniapandi.com New National Response Corporation (NRC) arrangements NRC now has in place its own contingency plan (NRC Covered Vessels Washington State Contingency Plan), which has received the approval of the Washington State Department of Ecology. From 1 November 2013, tank and non-tank vessel owners may meet the requirements of Washington State law by signing a contract and addendum with NRC. Details can be found at http://nrcwaplan.nrcc.com/. Moreover, the NRC Covered Vessels Washington State Contingency Plan does conform with IG guidelines on Vessel Response Plans. Those owners who have already signed a contract with NRC for the purposes of federal response need only sign the addendum. Emergency Response Towing Vessel (ERTV) In addition to the above contingency plan requirements, Members should note that it will still be necessary, prior to entry into Washington State waters (with the exception of the Columbia River), to enrol with the Emergency Response Towing Vessel (ERTV) for the services of the tug stationed at Neah Bay. This requirement applies whether the NRC Covered Vessels Washington State Contingency Plan or the WSMC enrolment agreement are used. It is a requirement of Washington State law that this tug be on standby during the visit of a vessel. By signing an enrolment agreement for the ERTV, the owner ensures that the ERTV will be on standby each time one of his vessels calls at a Washington State port (with the exception of the Columbia River). By signing an enrolment agreement for the ERTV, the