U.S. NAVY SALVAGE REPORT DEEPWATER HORIZON ... - ESSM

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response
2-2.1 Multiple Lines of Authority.
Because ICP Houma and ICP Mobile each had lines of authority, both independently issued
direction to SUPSALV. SUPSALV was unable to adjudicate Mobile and Houma’s conflicting
requests and requested relief from the Area Commander in Roberts, LA. On 6 May the Federal
Reserve Asset Staging Unit in Gulfport, MS began reporting to the Area/Unified Command
(Roberts, LA) vice ICP Houma. ICP Houma and ICP Mobile then had to submit requests through
Area/Unified Command for SUPSALV oil spill response (OSR) equipment and assets. Once the
assets were allocated, the ICPs had the authority to deploy operationally. Items that were
staged but not deployed were occasionally transferred from one ICP to another without
SUPSALV knowledge. This led to ESSM personnel “discovering” the gear they were intending to
utilize was not present or available. Early on SUPSALV learned to periodically send personnel to
visually check on equipment in staging areas without assigned SUPSALV personnel.
2-2.2 Turnover of Key Contacts
SUPSALV manned each of their key positions, Houston Source Control ICP and Gulfport, MS
State Pier Command Van, with two fully committed senior staff members who each spent
approximately 50% of their time on-site and the remaining 50% of their time back at NAVSEA
HQ but still engaged on a daily basis in the conduct of the operation. In contrast, key Task Force
Leaders and ICP management team members invariably rotated off the job after around 2
weeks. It became apparent that the turnover process was not comprehensive and issues and
routines worked out with the past holder of that post had to be resolved anew with the current
holder of the post. During the operation, a call to the ICP switchboard rarely found an operator
who knew who was occupying what position within their own organization. In an attempt to work
with this deficiency, the SUPSALV team had their reservist or visiting ED Diver trainee make
almost daily contact with each Task Force and ICP POC to see who was occupying the key
positions and if they had a copy of the Skimming and Booming Ops CONOPS and knew who
and what SUPSALV was, where our equipment and personnel were, and what they were doing.
2-2.3 Responsible Party Coordination
BP played a significant role in coordinating the oil spill response. They were willing funders of
the mission and assigned people who were knowledgeable and productive to the coordination
task. BP’s specific impact on SUPSALV’s operation was the contracting of vessels of
opportunity to support off shore skimming, boom handling boats for MARCO Class V skimming,
and the OSVs used for boom laying and MARCO Class V tending. BP also demonstrated their
responsiveness after SUPSALV identified the requirement for knuckle boom cranes for the
VOSS boats.
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