Potentially Polluting Wrecks in U.S. Waters

Risk Score Example

Vessel Risk Factors		Data Quality Score	Comments		Risk Score
Pollution Potential Factors	A1: Oil Volume (total bbl)	Medium	Maximum of 93,000 bbl, not reported to be leaking		Med
	A2: Oil Type	High	Cargo is crude oil, a Group III oil type
	B: Wreck Clearance	High	Vessel not reported as cleared
	C1: Burning of the Ship	High	Significant fire reported
	C2: Oil on Water	High	Oil was reported on the water; amount is not known
	D1: Nature of Casualty	High	Multiple torpedo detonations, explosion
	D2: Structural Breakup	High	Vessel remains in one contiguous piece
Archaeological Assessment	Archaeological Assessment	High	Detailed sinking records and site reports of this ship exist, assessment is believed to be very accurate		Not Scored
Operational Factors	Wreck Orientation	High	Inverted (turtled)		Not Scored
	Depth	High	90 feet
	Visual or Remote Sensing Confirmation of Site Condition	High	Location has been surveyed
	Other Hazardous Materials Onboard	High	No
	Munitions Onboard	High	Munitions for onboard weapons
	Gravesite (Civilian/Military)	High	Yes
	Historical Protection Eligibility (NHPA/SMCA)	High	NHPA and possibly SMCA
				WCD	Most Probable
Ecological Resources	3A: Water Column Resources	High	Nearshore habitats which are important spawning areas at greatest risk of impact	Med	Med
	3B: Water Surface Resources	High	Slicks could cover large areas with abundant wintering waterfowl, sea turtles concentrated in Sargassum mats where oil also tends to concentrate, and spawning habitat for many fish/shellfish	High	Med
	3C: Shore Resources	High	Shoreline resources include wetlands which are difficult to clean and under long-term decline, large bird nesting colonies, turtle nesting beaches, nursery areas for many fish and shellfish, and wintering habitat for listed bird species	High	Med
Socio-Economic Resources	4A: Water Column Resources	High	Moderate water column impact in important fishing grounds	Low	Low
	4B: Water Surface Resources	High	Relatively large impact in important shipping lanes and fishing areas	High	Med
	4C: Shore Resources	High	Moderate shoreline oiling would occur in areas with important resources	Med	Med
Summary Risk Scores				16	13