Applicability—This guide is intended to describe a planning audit that will improve the shipowner's ability to forecast costs and schedule impacts and aid the shipowner in identifying environmental, health, and safety concerns associated with the removal, handling, and disposal of potentially hazardous shipboard materials.

Use—Audits may be performed to aid in planning for a variety of events, including maintenance, repair, modification, purchase, or scrapping. To maximize efficiency, audits should be tailored to meet the specific needs of the shipowner, with target materials identified during the planning process.

Caution—Legal restrictions on the removal and disposal of materials discussed in this guide may vary significantly from port to port, both within the United States and abroad. Reasons for this variation include the decentralized nature of port control, state, and local environmental regulations, and the local availability of landfill or treatment facilities. Users of this guide should consult local authorities to obtain information on specific legal requirements.

1.1 Purpose—This guide covers information for assisting shipowners in planning for costs or scheduling complications during maintenance, repair, modifications, purchase negotiations, or scrapping activities. Removal and disposal of certain materials disturbed during modification, maintenance, or disposal of systems or components may be costly or interrupt the work schedule.

1.2 Objectives:

1.2.1 This guide will describe materials that may be disturbed on ships during maintenance or scrapping activities, which may result in costly or time-consuming removal or disposal actions.

1.2.2 This guide will provide a systematic method to identify and record the locations of materials of concern for immediate planning and future reference.

1.2.3 This guide will include a brief discussion of issues related to the handling and storage of materials described in this guide.

1.3 Considerations Beyond Scope:

1.3.1 This guide is not intended to address materials carried as cargo or material stored onboard in prepackaged containers.

1.3.2 This guide is not intended to address waste products related to the ongoing, day-to-day operation of a ship, such as sewage, solid waste, incinerator ash (or other residual products resulting from solid waste treatment), and residual sludge left in segregated ballast tanks.

1.3.3 This guide does not provide a comprehensive index of test methods available for characterizing the materials discussed. Test methods referenced or described should be considered as examples.

1.3.4 This guide is not intended to address directly regulatory issues for any of the materials described.

1.3.5 This guide is not intended to address remediation concerns.