Through a contracting instrument known as a Basic Ordering Agreement, or "BOA," the U.S. Coast Guard maintains an extensive commercial capability for pollution response. The BOA is a standing “time and materials” contract for equipment and personnel established between the agency and commercial firms that may be activated principally for emergency response. BOAs are maintained with salvage operators, firefighters, oil spill removal organizations and other response contractors.
The BOA permits the U.S. Coast Guard to rapidly and efficiently activate qualified, experienced commercial response contractors in cases when the responsible party is unwilling or unable to meet its commitments under applicable laws and regulations, or when the responsible party simply cannot be identified. BOAs are typically activated by the U.S. Coast Guard Federal On-Scene Coordinator, but also may be employed by other federal agencies. This contract provides the U.S. Coast Guard with an effective tool in support of its environmental protection mission.
T&T BISSO maintains a BOA for salvage, firefighting, lightering and pollution clean-up services. In 1996 BISSO MARINE, one of T&T BISSO’s partner companies, became one of the first companies to be awarded a salvage BOA by the U.S. Coast Guard. The T&T BISSO BOA includes salvage masters, salvage engineers, firefighters, lightering experts, pollution removal experts and equipment operators. Also listed are heavy-lift capabilities, portable firefighting pumps, inert gas generators, pumping and lightering packages, salvage equipment, and pollution and hazardous materials response equipment. This T&T BISSO response capability is the most extensive available to the U.S. Coast Guard under the BOA system.
The professionals at T&T BISSO and its partner companies, BISSO MARINE and T&T MARINE, have for many years worked closely and effectively with the U.S. Coast Guard on numerous response operations. With a long history of successful emergency response, T&T BISSO maintains a reputation of reliability, credibility and trust with the federal agency.
