Equipment & Capabilities

MSRC has the largest portfolio of oil spill response equipment in the U.S. With a dedicated team of more than 350 people, 40 manned sites and nearly 100 companies in our STARs contractor group in approximately 250 locations, we are able to deploy quickly and effectively anywhere in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In addition, our expertly maintained equipment and vessels can be cascaded from any region to respond to large–scale spill events.

Take a virtual tour of one of our 210 ft. Oil Spill Response Vessels

MSRC has the most advanced platform of surveillance equipment of any OSRO, used to maximize efficiency in recovery operations by distinguishing the thickest oil slicks from sheen, documenting oil movement, and redirecting recovery assets to enhance recovery rates. Thermal Infrared (TIR) sensors also allow for 24-hour recovery operations, ultimately leading to a faster and more efficient response.

These tools include aircraft mounted Multispectral, Near and Long Wave TIR sensors, Aerostats, OSRV mounted X-band and FLIR cameras, portable FLIR systems, and drones with 4K and TIR camera systems. We are able to meet initial over flight regulatory requirements, as well as support recovery objectives throughout the response.

View a detailed inventory for:

MSRC's mechanical recovery capability includes Oil Spill Response Vessels (OSRVs), Oil Spill Response Barges (OSRBs), boom, skimmers and other storage, for both offshore and nearshore response operations. Our fleet includes 9 Responder Class OSRVs with significant on-board storage and the capability of remaining offshore for substantial periods to sustain continuous operations, over 20 OSRVs of various sizes and capabilities, 10 fast response vessels, 66 shallow water barge systems, and 13 OSRBs that range in size from 12,000 to 68,000 barrels of storage each.

MSRC’s boom sizes range from 10-inch for inland creeks, all the way to robust, ocean rated 67-inch, and will be used to create a floating barrier to deflect released product away from sensitive areas, or to concentrate product in a specific area for skimming operations. Spilled product type and marine environment will dictate the type of boom most appropriate for effective containment.

Skimmers remove spilled product from the incident site and transfer it by pump into temporary storage. Sea states, product composition, presence of debris, and other scenario conditions drive what type of skimmer will be most effective. MSRC maintains a broad variety of oleophilic belt/brush/disc, weir, and suction skimmers with varied pump rates and features to achieve successful collection activities regardless of what recoverable product is spilled in any marine environment. All of our skimmers for our OSRO classification are associated with an effective lifting mechanism to deploy and retrieve the skimmer off a vessel or other recovery platform.

View a detailed inventory for:

MSRC’s depth of dedicated storage ensures rapid availability of recovered product storage solutions during a response and allows our customers to meet planning standards set forth in OPA 90 Regulations. As U.S. regulations evolve to implement “ESRP” to replace “EDRC” as a measurement of product recovery capacity, MSRC is well poised to meet these anticipated requirements with more than 500,000 barrels of dedicated storage.

With a variety of options and tailoring available, MSRC has a storage solution appropriate for a variety of operating environments and storage volume needs:

  • For scenarios requiring storage of high volumes, MSRC’s ocean rated storage barges can carry up to 57,000 barrels.
  • MSRC’s fleet of Shallow Water Barge Systems (SBS) are used in near-shore and inland scenarios. Each system can contain up to 400 barrels of recovered product and provides an easily maneuverable on-water storage option.
  • For situations requiring smaller storage volumes or flexibility in placement, MSRC’s portable storage tanks or bladders can provide additional versatile storage capacity.  

View a detailed inventory for:

In some spill scenarios, the most effective tactic to mitigate damage to the marine environment is to conduct a controlled burn of spilled product, known as in-situ burn. Product is first collected into a concentrated area using specialized, fire-resistant boom and then ignited with either a handheld or airborne igniter. MSRC has both the unique experience and the equipment to facilitate in-situ burn when the scenario requires it, as demonstrated repeatedly during Deep Water Horizon. MSRC has the largest inventory of fire-resistant boom in the world at 22,500 ft.

View a detailed inventory for:

Under appropriate and approved conditions, dispersants can be a highly effective tool in a large-scale release. MSRC has three dedicated Boeing 737 aircraft for high volume aerial application of dispersant in tight timelines, and over 190K gallons of dispersant.

View a detailed inventory for:

MSRC is capable of providing a variety of emergency communications packages, including AVL 1.2 M self-acquiring satellite, internet connectivity, VOIP telephony services, cell repeaters, multiband radio packages and more. In addition, we have 30 dedicated communications technicians.

View a detailed inventory for:

  • Activate MSRC  1-800-OIL-SPIL  (1-800-645-7745)
  • General Inquiries  (703) 326-5600