Crisis on the Coast : A Project Management Study of the New Carissa Salvage Operation

On February 4, 1999, the merchant vessel New Carissa ran aground near Coos Bay, OR. This would set into motion a series of events that still does not have final resolution today, nearly two and one half years later. At first impression, the rescue and salvage appears to be a haphazard, loosely related series of events. This is most definitely not the case. Due to recent massive oil spills, like the Exxon Valdez and the Kuroshima, to name two, contingency plans in the form of a project management structure have been put into place to react quickly to incidents and prevent such disasters. This study examines the various available reports, including material from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Oregon DEQ, and the various federal agencies that were involved, in addition to news media and Internet material. The New Carissa Review committee concluded the system worked “reasonably well.” We agree that a system was in place, and that attempts were made to follow the guidelines, but we cannot support the statement that it worked “reasonably well.