Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP)
The Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP), is a prevention plan intended to eliminate release of hazardous materials into the marine environment, and to respond when such releases do happen. The Small Boat Program has developed a SOPEP designed specifically for small boats under 300 Gross Tons. The following resources can help VOCs create SOPEPs for their small boats.
The Small Boat Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan Overview gives viewers the history of SOPEP development in the NOAA Small Boat Program, with an emphasis on how a standardized template makes emergency response faster and more effective.
The SOPEP for each small boat should contain two elements:
- A Shipboard Oil Pollution Emegency Plan. This plan should be created using the Small Boat Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan Template
- An At-A-Glance placard, that can be posted for reference during an emergency. The placards should be created using the Small Boat Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan At-A-Glance Template
The Small Boat Program has provided three example SOPEP documents
