Van Ness Feldman’s professionals have decades of multi-disciplinary experience representing clients on complex international, federal, and state laws on marine environmental response. Clients include vessel and terminal owners and operators, offshore infrastructure, pipeline and energy companies, charterers, ports, and waterfront facilities.
The team has significant experience in maritime environmental compliance, corporate compliance investigations and due diligence, as well as dealing with enforcement authorities. Our team includes former counsel for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Maritime and International Law and has experience in and provides counsel on compliance with the Clean Water Act (CWA), including the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) and Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS)/MARPOL, the Deepwater Port Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and the Ports and Waterways Safety Act (PWSA).
Specifically, the Van Ness Feldman team can assist clients in the maritime regulatory industry with a wide variety of marine environmental response issues including, but not limited to, the following:
- DOJ investigations and USCG Voluntary Disclosure applications, including for “magic pipe” or vessel emissions issues
- Spill response planning and preparedness, including Vessel Response Plans, Facility Response Plans, and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Oil Spill Response Plans
- Workable and compliant vessel discharge plans, including for ballast water
- Electronic recordkeeping for Oil Record Books
- Marine vessel response advice, including for oil spills and other incidents.