CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR VESSELS

(a) Any vessel with a capacity to carry 10,000 gallons or more of oil as fuel or cargo that operates in coastal waters or waters adjoining and accessible from coastal waters shall maintain a written vessel-specific discharge prevention and response plan that satisfies the requirements of rules promulgated under this chapter. This section shall not apply to any dedicated response vessel or to any other vessel for activities within state waters related solely to the containment and cleanup of oil, including response-related training or drills. (b) The plan must: (1) provide for response actions including notification to the commissioner, verification of the unauthorized discharge, identification of the pollutant, assessment of the discharge, vessel stabilization, and discharge abatement and mitigation; (2) designate an on-board spill officer who satisfies the definition of trained personnel as provided by Section 40.003 of this code and who shall train the vessel's crew to conduct unauthorized discharge response operations according to the plan and shall coordinate on-board response operations in the event of an unauthorized discharge; and (3) contain any other provision the commissioner reasonably requires by rule. (c) A discharge prevention and response plan that complies with requirements under federal laws and regulations for a vessel-specific plan satisfies the requirements of Subsections (a) and (b) of this section. (d) The owner or operator of a vessel subject to this section must be able to provide, directly or through membership or contract with a discharge cleanup organization, all required equipment and trained personnel to prevent, abate, contain, and remove pollution from an unauthorized discharge of oil as provided in the plan.