PLACES OF REFUGE, IN OUR BACKYARD?

摘要

While it may not be a burning issue at this moment, it is inevitable that there will come a time when the hard choice will have to be made; to bring a leaking, crippled and unstable vessel into safe refuge for salvage repairs, protecting the environment from a greater disaster by intentionally risking the environmental safety of a specific harbor of refuge. Through the policies of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), we have an excellent planning and decision making tool: the U.S. Coast Guard Places of Refuge Policy. However, like any tool, this policy needs to be exercised and used in order for it to be most effective.