California spill response merger

The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) and Clean Coastal Waters, Inc. (CCW) announce the merger of the two organizations’ California-based assets effective July 1, 2004.

The merged organization will become a part of MSRC’s California Region which was created as a result of the January 1, 2004 merger between MSRC and Clean Bay in San Francisco. The merger combines the personnel and resources of MSRC’s Southern California operations and CCW’s operations into one locally operated organization, and provides access to MSRC’s considerable additional West Coast and national resources in the event of a larger incident.

According to MSRC President Steve Benz, "The merger of CCW, following our recently completed merger of Clean Bay into MSRC, brings together the outstanding resources and personnel of all three organizations to respond in unison to spills along the entire California coast. This one-call approach will enhance response effectiveness as well as relationships with all area stakeholders."

Ray Nottingham, former President of Clean Coastal Waters, and now MSRC’s Area Response Manager for Southern California, stated that "Merging the assets of Clean Coastal Waters with those of MSRC truly provides for a top notch, extremely well equipped spill response organization. I’m proud to be part of the new MSRC team, knowing that the combined resources of these two companies makes available the latest technology in spill response resources teamed with trained, dedicated personnel to stand as a first line of defense in fighting oil spill incidents."

MSRC, founded in 1990, is the largest dedicated standby oil spill response organization in the United States. It is a national not-for-profit response company which owns and operates a fleet of dedicated Oil Spill Response Vessels, ocean going barges, shallow water skimming systems, other response equipment and enhanced communications capabilities throughout the United States East, Gulf, and West Coasts, the U.S. Caribbean, the Hawaiian Islands and the Mid-continent region.

MSRC is funded by the Marine Preservation Association (MPA), a member-supported, not-for-profit organization created in 1990 to assist the petroleum and energy-related industries by addressing problems caused by oil spills on water. An MPA member is eligible to enter into a contract with MSRC that provides direct, immediate access to MSRC resources.

Clean Coastal Waters, founded in 1972, represented the largest spill response organization in Southern California providing services to the refining production and transportation industries.