33 CFR 155.4010: Purpose of salvage and firefighting subpart
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026
This section states the purpose of the subpart: to set vessel response plan salvage and marine firefighting requirements. It says a planholder must ensure by contract or other approved means that response resources are available. It also says the response criteria are planning criteria, not performance standards.
Applies toVessels that are carrying group I-IV oils and that are required by §§ 155.1015 and 155.5015 to have a vessel response plan.
What it says
The purpose of this subpart is to set vessel response plan salvage and marine firefighting requirements for vessels carrying group I-IV oils that must have a vessel response plan under §§ 155.1015 and 155.5015.
33 CFR 155.4010(a)“The purpose of this subpart is to establish vessel response plan salvage and marine firefighting requirements for vessels, that are carrying group I-IV oils”
Salvage and marine firefighting actions can save lives and property, and can prevent potential oil spills from escalating to worst case discharge scenarios.
33 CFR 155.4010(b)“Salvage and marine firefighting actions can save lives and property, and prevent the escalation of potential oil spills to worst case discharge scenarios.”
A planholder must ensure by contract or other approved means that response resources are available to respond.
33 CFR 155.4010(c)“A planholder must ensure by contract or other approved means that response resources are available to respond.”
The response criteria, such as quantities of response resources and their arrival times, are planning criteria and not performance standards. They rest on assumptions that may not exist during an actual incident, as stated in 33 CFR 155.1010.
33 CFR 155.4010(c)“are planning criteria, not performance standards, and are based on assumptions that may not exist during an actual incident, as stated in 33 CFR 155.1010.”
Compliance is based on whether a covered response plan ensures that adequate response resources are available, not on whether those resources actually meet specified arrival times or other planning criteria after an incident.
33 CFR 155.4010(c)“Compliance with the regulations is based upon whether a covered response plan ensures that adequate response resources are available”
The Coast Guard will exercise its enforcement discretion in light of all facts and circumstances.
33 CFR 155.4010(c)“The Coast Guard will exercise its enforcement discretion in light of all facts and circumstances.”
Common questions
What is the purpose of the salvage and marine firefighting subpart?
Its purpose is to establish vessel response plan salvage and marine firefighting requirements. These apply to vessels carrying group I-IV oils that must have a vessel response plan.
“The purpose of this subpart is to establish vessel response plan salvage and marine firefighting requirements for vessels, that are carrying group I-IV oils”
Does missing a response arrival time mean a plan violated the rules?
Not necessarily. Failure to meet specified criteria during an actual spill response does not necessarily mean the planning requirements were not met.
“Failure to meet specified criteria during an actual spill response does not necessarily mean that the planning requirements”
How must a planholder make response resources available?
A planholder must ensure by contract or other approved means that response resources are available to respond.
“A planholder must ensure by contract or other approved means that response resources are available to respond.”
The text of 33 CFR 155.4010
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR
Purpose of this subpart
(a) The purpose of this subpart is to establish vessel response plan salvage and marine firefighting requirements for vessels, that are carrying group I-IV oils, and that are required by §§ 155.1015 and 155.5015 to have a vessel response plan.
(b) Salvage and marine firefighting actions can save lives and property, and prevent the escalation of potential oil spills to worst case discharge scenarios.
(c) A planholder must ensure by contract or other approved means that response resources are available to respond. However, the response criteria specified in the regulations (e.g., quantities of response resources and their arrival times) are planning criteria, not performance standards, and are based on assumptions that may not exist during an actual incident, as stated in 33 CFR 155.1010. Compliance with the regulations is based upon whether a covered response plan ensures that adequate response resources are available, not on whether the actual performance of those response resources after an incident meets specified arrival times or other planning criteria. Failure to meet specified criteria during an actual spill response does not necessarily mean that the planning requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) (33 U.S.C. 1251-1376) and regulations were not met. The Coast Guard will exercise its enforcement discretion in light of all facts and circumstances.
Sections it refers to
The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.