"Shipyards are an easy target for source control" - Lynwood Haumschilt, NSRP- SP-1
In regulatory circles, "source control" means searching for polluters, hence Haumschilt's comment bemoans the difficulties
faced by many large corporations. Prompted by public outcry, justified or not, politicians perceive shipyards as easy targets upon which to blame coastal pollution problems. It is much simpler to point fingers at a big
coastal facility than to identify legitimate culprits such as urban run-off or other non-point source pollution problems.
Members of the U.S. shipyard and dry-docking community recognized this
phenomenon years ago. Since the 1980s, they have been working together with the Maritime Administration (MarAd) and the office of Naval Research to correct
environmental practices, improve the public's perception of the industry and clean up coastal waters as well.
Currently funded partly by Maritech ASE, National Shipbuilding and Repairs Program
(NSRP), the panel on Environment is a major initiative. Nicknamed SP-1, they have been mitigating the environmental impact of shipyards and drydocks by bringing
industry experts together to develop modern environmental technologies and to establish better environmental practices at the yards.
At the core of SP-1 are shipyard representatives from about 20 or more U.S. yards who
meet 2 to 3 times per year to discuss environmental issues such as facility compliance. However, many more interested parties come to the meetings to contribute.
Attendees include consultants, environmental engineers, operational and environmental managers, MarAd officials, scientists, lawyers, US Coast Guard and US EPA officials and occasionally even environmental organizations.
Unfortunately, the endeavors of the SP-1 initiatives are little known to the public. Members such as Rodney Robinson admit that "improving the image of shipyards is
sorely needed." CQD Journal for the Maritime Environment Industry went to the Environmental Panel's June meeting in Virginia Beach, VA to investigate and report on this dynamic program.
Environmental Panel Projects
The first item an observer would note at an SP-1 meeting is the openness and candor with which these industry competitors discuss concerns. Through co-operation,
shipyards and drydocks pool resources to work on problems and find solutions. In the process, individual yards gain from the results of a coordinated industry effort.
The SP-1 panel assigns projects to coordinators from each yard. The projects are partially funded through Maritech ASE and partially from outside sources, often the
yards themselves. Projects may be studies such as an environmental management plan for shipbuilding facilities. They may also involve actual technology development such as a rapid testing methodology for tributyltin.
Results from the projects are presented and discussed with all members. Sites where technology testing is underway are made available for inspection and demonstrations.
Using this plan, one or two yards may run a project, but all benefit from the outcome, especially the environment.
Projects discussed in Virginia Beach include:
Ultra High Water Pressure Hydroblasting - Atlantic Marine's representative, Wayne Holt has been investigating and testing
hydroblasting equipment for ship maintenance. This work will compare life cycle costs of hydroblasting to traditional blasting, taking into account environmental advantages of the former. Holt intends to outline the
challenges presented by the latest technological innovations and hopefully determine their benefits for the SP-1 panel.
Environmental Studies and Testing - Rodney Robinson, a long-time member of SP-1,
described some of the 50 projects performed under Environmental Science & Testing. A few of these projects include:
- Development of shipyard pollution prevention workshops.
- Evaluation of air curtain screens to protect fish from stranding on floating drydocks.
- Projects to facilitate coordination between Shipyards, EPA & MarAd.
- Analysis of wash water treatment efficiency for heavy metals.
- Fast turnaround analytical method for tributyltin (TBT).
TBT Treatment Update - Gary Schaffran of Old Dominion University, VA described some of the work his lab is performing for the SP-1 panel. They are working on
treatment methodologies for removing TBT from shipyard wastewaters.
Guest Speaker from the U.S. EPA
Another benefit of the SP-1 meetings is the opportunity to hear from experts outside
the industry. Teresa (Lozinger) Amato of EPA's Sustainable Industry Program gave attendees practical guidance in working with EPA and its' many programs. Amato
outlined a few of the upcoming issues for shipyards. Expect to see performance track objectives, new to EPA, incorporated into the Sustainable Industry Program. This
incentive rewards yards with consistently good performance. Amato hopes industry will help determine "what works economically" in terms of sustainability for shipyards.
Shipyard reps. were able to air concerns of their own to Amato. One member commented on the inconsistency of enforcement from EPA Region to Region and from
yard to yard. Amato explained that in the future we should be seeing more of a shift away from EPA "command "and control enforcement and towards a "type of
stewardship." Yards may perceive inequalities since in some regions shipyards are a higher priority than in others.
Amato also pointed out "shipyards aren't very high on the pollutant list." Out of 113
sectors, shipyards and boatyards were ranked 36th on EPA's pollutant index. This suggests, she says, that compared to other industries tracked, shipyards and
boatyards would be 36th on enforcement priority in terms of pollutant output. With budgets shrinking, the agency is more likely to go after industries that fall in the top 10.
Future SP-1 Meetings
The NSRP Environmental Panel will be meeting again next October in Groton, CT and in February in San Diego, CA. Following the SP-1 meeting, Jennifer Parker of Bath Iron
Works in Maine and vice-chair of SP-1 spoke with CQD Journal.
Parker explained one of the most important functions of SP-1 is the group of shipbuilders acting as a forum. At the meetings, they make each other aware of what
issues and regulations are pressing. Of particular value are those issues arising in precedent setting States.
"But, bigger than that," she says "these regulations affect other industries as well. [SP-1] provides an opportunity to have different industry folks together to share information on different agencies."
Knowing and understanding how government agencies work with other industries is "very useful to ours," states Parker.
National Shipbuilding Research Program Environmental Panel Meeting