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California Marine Oil Terminal Engineering & Maintenance Standards

Marine Oil Terminal Engineering and Maintenance Standards (MOTEMS) became a legal part of the California state building codes on February 6, 2006, as a way to standardize the performance ratings of current and future oil terminals in California. These standards provide auditors with a guideline and a numerical rating system to more-effectively note the engineering and maintenance issues of terminals. MOTEMS also provide a priority assessment system for repairs.

  1. Purpose

    • MOTEMS came through legislation as a direct result of the Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1990, which was created to provide for public safety by developing performance standards for all new and currently operational terminals in the state of California. These marine oil terminals are overseen by the California State Lands Commission (CSLC) and are subject to jurisdiction by state and local law enforcement. The MOTEMS project was begun and funded by both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the CSLC. These regulations have been adopted in the California Building Code Title 24, Part 2, Chapter 31F.

    Inspections

    • MOTEMS define construction and maintenance criteria for new and existing terminals as well as require the monitoring of both structural analysis data and the effectiveness of facility design. As a result, oil terminals can be subject to inspection at any time, with a minimum of one yearly audit to be conducted at will. Yearly audits include an engineering audit and analysis, postevent inspections and preparedness audits. Events include flooding, earthquakes and vessel impacts. Underwater inspections are also required to determine structural soundness both above and below water.

    Fire Prevention

    • Each terminal is required to maintain minimum standards for fire detection, prevention and suppression. The fire requirements have been adapted from different industry standards to meet the needs of MOTEMS, being based largely on terminal size and product flammability. Because of this, fire prevention standards can vary widely among terminals. Marine oil terminals are required to maintain an adequate fire water supply at all times. Terminals should also be equipped with high-velocity fire hoses, which, along with fire extinguishers and the onboard alert system, must be tested annually for function and maintained in good working order.

    Deficiencies

    • Auditors are required to provide assessment ratings for two types of deficiencies in addition to their maintenance reports. Conditional assessment ratings (CARs) are used to determine structural readiness both below and above the waterline. Assessments range in value from 6 to 1, with 6 being "good" and 1 being "critical." Anything below 4 is considered in need of improvement and may require a decrease in operation until the identified problems are fixed. Remedial action priorities (RAPs) are used for piping, mechanical, electrical or fire problems. These are rated P1-P4, with P1 needing immediate attention and P4 allowing for repairs to be made during normal maintenance cycles over a period of one year.

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