CHAOS READY RESOURCES IN THE MARITIME SECTOR:

Leveraging Existing Capabilities in Response to Crises

Chad N. Fuhrmann
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CHAOS READY RESOURCES IN THE MARITIME SECTOR:

Leveraging Existing Capabilities in Response to Crises

Every functioning society is dependent on effective infrastructures providing commercial

goods, services, information, and basic human necessities. If this element of modern life is

disrupted, it can result in chaos. Minor, daily disruptions amount to little more than

inconveniences. However, major catastrophes are capable of upending multiple types of

infrastructure simultaneously leading to subsequent crises that can threaten the comfort,

livelihoods, and even survival of millions of people.

These disruptions occur in the form of massive, unpredictable natural and human-made

disasters. Research indicates that such incidents are increasing in magnitude and frequency with

a subsequent increase in the percentage of the world’s population being threatened (Centre for

Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters [CRED], 2020). Despite these trends, however, there

has been no corresponding increase in response activities or resources (Apte et al., n.d.). In light

of the general unpredictability such disasters, the diverse needs of impacted regions, and a lack

of response resources, the latent capabilities of the maritime sector may offer a ready means of

mitigating the effects of disasters and subsequent crises, regardless of cause.

It is the objective of this research to outline the potential solutions available through the

global reach and myriad capabilities of the world’s maritime industry. The Chaos Ready

Resources concept seeks to capitalize on the maritime industry’s multi-functional resources and

ubiquitous presence. By coordinating the wide variety of industrial functions, particularly those

of offshore support vessels (OSV), the Chaos Ready Resources concept establishes the

foundations for developing regional response frameworks which, in turn, can evolve into a more

immediate and expansive network capable of responding quickly to crises globally.

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Literature Review

The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) regularly conducts

studies on disasters and their impacts on populations. Its most recent report concluded that

natural disasters in particular are increasing in frequency and magnitude. Similarly, research by

Coleman (2006) indicates an exponential growth in the frequency of human-made disasters

throughout the twentieth century. Nebehay (2020) contends that climate change is a major factor

in this increase and while the connection between climate change and human activity remains a

point of contention, Waldman (2018) concludes that regardless of opinion, the influence of

human activity and industry on disasters cannot be ignored.

The maritime industry’s role in crisis response has been well documented but few

consistent approaches developed. Apte et al. (n.d.) specifically analyzed the U.S. Navy’s

response capabilities and the support resources of the Military Sealift Command (MSC). While

immediately able to respond to regional disasters, military vessels were not often the most

capable resources for such activities. By contrast, Pettersen (2018) and Pettersen et al. (2020)

assessed the latent capabilities of specific commercial sectors of the industry and found that

resources such as OSVs stood as viable response resources for a variety of crisis scenarios. In

fact, OSVs (which are most often associated with the offshore energy sector) are perhaps the best

example of readily accessible but overlooked resources. The National Offshore Safety Advisory

Committee (NOSAC) (2019) developed a framework for the application of OSVs in response

operations. When applied, this framework exploits not only the capabilities of these vessels but

also existing logistics and tracking tools such as the Marine Information for Safety and Law

Enforcement (MISLE) system used by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Fuhrmann (2019b)

described the use of these combined systems in the U.S. and their potential global applications.
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Using these studies and existing research, this paper connects commonalities to highlight

the overlooked but capable response resources that exist within the maritime industry. Focusing

specifically on the U.S. offshore maritime industry as a test case, it proposes solutions this sector

may offer based on its global footprint and innate response capacities. It describes how its

multifunctional capabilities may leveraged to respond to regions and populations impacted by

crisis where there is a lack of resources currently dedicated to disaster operations.

Overview of Natural and Human-Made Disasters

When storms, earthquakes, wildfires, and other disasters occur, their subsequent crises

can devastate regions killing thousands, collapsing economies, and leaving a lasting negative

impact. While such incidents a statistically low probability of occurrence natural disasters – the

type, magnitude, and timing of which are completely unpredictable – have been witnessed

continuously throughout the twentieth century across the planet (Koehler et al., 2001). Evidence

suggests that climate change is having a growing influence on the natural environment and

increasing the frequency and severity of these events in the decades to come (Nebehay, 2020).

Along with widespread recurrence and brutality, already limited response resources must fill an

escalating need to respond to impacted populations and the infrastructures on which they depend.

Likewise, while the human impact on climate change continues to be a point of

contention, human activity and industry in general cannot be ignored as being a significant factor

in disasters, often with results as devastating as any incident of natural origin. Populations

around the world are victimized by an estimated 30-40 armed conflicts annually (CRED, 2020).

Less violent but no less impactful, environmental disasters can be just as disruptive. Incidents

such as the 2020 tanker grounding and oil spill near the island nation of Mauritius and, of course,

the 2010 Deepwater Horizon tragedy resulted in significant environmental damage to local
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ecosystems and lasting detrimental impacts on the health and economic wellbeing of hundreds of

thousands of people in the affected regions (Bueger, 2020; U.S. Department of Homeland

Security [DHS] & Department of the Interior [DOI], Vol. I, 2011). All of these incidents and their

effect on the environment and those that depend on it serve as continuous reminders of the

impact of human industry on health, the environment, and even national security.

Complexity of Disaster Response Operations

The unpredictable locations and magnitudes of both natural and human-made disasters

make the strategic movement of resources difficult. Moreover, each scenario comes with its own

wildly varying response needs (Koehler et al., 2001). Organizations such as the International

Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the World Health Organization

(WHO) focus on the sanctity of human life regardless of disaster type (IFRC, 2011; WHO,

2017). While always the primary concern this objective many times may only be facilitated by

first addressing the integrity of the infrastructures required to support the impacted populations.

Adding to the chaos, demand for supplies or services may originate from myriad sources

including regional governments, aid organizations, and/or commercial entities including private

companies and utility providers.

The confusion and pre-existing lack of a clear chain-of-command-type response

infrastructure highlights the potential disparity in supply and demand. The tendency of most

disaster scenarios is that both can be extremely uncertain, which makes efficiently matching

needs with resources nearly impossible (Apte et al., n.d.). Factor into this a dedicated but limited

number of response resources and the milieu of disaster response becomes even more confusing,

making it difficult to provide the correct resources where or when they are needed. While

dedicated resources may provide stability through focused response capabilities or options, the
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limitations of these available resources handicaps the overall response and may hinder the efforts

to save lives, restore critical infrastructure, and preserve regional security.

Universal Presence, Global Potential

Accounting for over 90 percent of the world’s trade, the collective global maritime

industry is indispensable for the day-to-day functioning of the international economy. Cargo

vessels including bulk carriers, oil tankers, and container ships ply established trades routes that

circumnavigate the globe and touch every populated region of the planet (Meredith, 2019). In

addition to the so-called deep water fleets of the world, the multi-purpose resources of the

world’s offshore energy sector support the extraction and distribution of the world’s offshore oil

and renewable energy supplies (Pettersen, 2018; U.S. Energy Information Agency [EIA], 2016).

Viewed in total, these resources are quite literally everywhere all the time and thus uniquely

situated to potentially respond to disasters and crises anywhere in the world.

With its multi-functionality and global reach, the marine industry can be an effective tie

between land-based modes of supply transport including truck, rail, and even air that have access

to port facilities. Promoting the utility of waterborne assets serves to expand the options

available to response organizations which are potentially over-reliant on land and air based

resources to the detriment of their relief operations. Nevertheless and despite its conspicuous

presence, only a limited number of the maritime industry’s capabilities are leveraged in crisis

scenarios. In a study on the use of intermodal transportation for disaster response, Zhang et al.

(2011) found that of all of the transportation modes, marine was the least used. This lack of

consideration of the benefits of intermodal transportation may not only detract from the efficacy

of an organization’s activities but more importantly ignores an established lifeline for supplies

and logistics.
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Figure 1
Note: Snapshot of global shipping vessel activity, all types (image courtesy MarineTraffic–
Global Ship Tracking Intelligence [www.marinetraffic.com]).

Specialized Response Capabilities

As important as global trade is to the world’s economies, military forces take a keen

interest in securing international trade routes and protecting physical assets. Navies from many

nations are therefore stationed in critical areas around the world. Consequently, these strategic

military resources are capable of responding immediately to disasters in the vicinity or within a

reasonable range of major commerce areas around the world. In fact, between 1979 and 2000,

U.S. military resources were diverted from their assigned missions 366 times for disaster

response activities as opposed to 22 times for unplanned combat missions (Apte et al., n.d.).

Governments also operate “non-aggressive” assets that take on support roles for their

respective military activities worldwide. In the U.S. these include those assets operated by MSC

which is comprised of a fleet of vessels whose mission it is to transport personnel supplies in

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support of offensive and defensive operations. This includes vessels such as the U.S. Navy Ship

(USNS) Comfort and USNS Mercy hospital ships which have been assigned to multiple

humanitarian efforts around the world (MSC, n.d.). Similarly, the U.S. Maritime Administration

(MarAd), among whose responsibilities is the training of civilian maritime officers for MSC, has

deployed its training vessels as crisis response resources on numerous occasions (U.S.

Department of Transportation [DOT], 2019). While versatile in their capabilities the overarching

mission of the waterborne military and their support resources is to project power by sea.

Humanitarian and disaster response efforts, while important, remain as secondary objectives.

As a result, non-military resources must serve as the principal entities to be utilized when

responding to crises. Mercy Ships, for example, currently operates a single asset, the Africa

Mercy, which operates in global locations which are negotiated and agreed upon months or even

years in advance (Mercy Ships, 2020). Other organizations such as Marine Spill Response

Corporation and Mission Resolve operate small fleets of vessels that act as floating crisis

response command centers or devoted environmental response vessels (Marine Spill Response

Corporation, 2020; Mission Resolve Foundation, 2020). These and other dedicated, not-for-profit

response organizations are funded through public and private donations, organizational

partnerships, grants, and membership dues. Though critical in crisis response scenarios, they are

therefore limited in the financial and physical resources that they have at their disposal and the

areas to which they are allowed to operate or to which they may be able to reasonably respond.
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The Chaos Ready Resources Concept

The industry resources dedicated to response activities are limited in number, flexibility,

and reach. Truly commercial vessels, by contrast, are effectively unlimited in their availability by

virtue of their global presence and operating range. What they potentially lack in regard to

concentrated response capabilities they more than compensate for in diversity of functions and

sheer number. The international maritime industry thereby represents a frequently unseen or

overlooked resource that can be leveraged in the event of an emergency, if only to provide

temporary relief until specialized resources can respond.

Rather than rely on overly specialized and narrow-purpose resources, the Chaos Ready

Resources concept aims to capitalize on the maritime industry’s myriad resources and ubiquitous

presence. Commercial deep water cargo vessels can carry massive amounts of supplies ranging

from basic necessities to major infrastructure related equipment. Inland and offshore vessels,

including fishing vessels, tug boats and barges, and passenger boats comprise a massive global

fleet of resources that operate in every region of the world (Ferrylines.com, 2020; Kroodsma,

2019). Although certain types of vessels may be concentrated in specific areas, together these

varieties of floating assets comprise a universal presence, operating in every region of the world.

By leveraging their innate capabilities, OSVs in particular can perform many disaster

related response activities as a result of a wide variety of industrial missions. With developing

nations’ unquenchable thirst for energy, both from oil and increasingly from renewable energy

sources, OSVs and other industrial workboats are seeing more universal application within the

economic zones of every continent and can, at the very least, supplement the limited maritime

assets dedicated to response.

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Desperate Times Call for Disparate Resources

While most maritime resources carry latent capabilities that can be utilized during crises

practical limitations may restrict their utility for specific response activities. For example, larger

vessels may not be able to access shallow or restricted port facilities and smaller vessels may be

limited in range. OSVs, however, demonstrate the greatest potential as response resources among

the global commercial vessel fleet, offering more flexibility and representing the ideal model of

the potential efficacy of the Chaos Ready Resources concept. Most often used in the offshore

energy sector, OSVs represent some of the most technologically advanced maritime assets in the

world (Fuhrmann, 2019c). Varying in design intent, including subsea construction, supply, and

commercial dive support these multi-functional resources also have the capability of carrying a

wide variety of cargo. If managed appropriately, these vessels can serve as primary response

resources or as interim responders until dedicated resources arrive on scene.

OSVs have served in disaster response capacities on a number of occasions, successfully

providing affected populations with basic necessities, furnishing necessary environmental

cleanup and mitigation services, and shoring up infrastructure requirements where necessary. The

year 2017 saw significant weather events impact the North American region. These events led to

cascading humanitarian crises in Puerto Rico in which the infrastructure was devastated and

incapable of providing basic necessities to its citizens. Where port facilities were restricted to

large cargo vessels as a result of potential hidden obstructions, much smaller OSVs were able to

respond carrying fuel and humanitarian relief supplies (Schuler, 2017). In one of the most

dramatic examples of environmental response, dozens of OSVs responded to the Deepwater

Horizon incident (Gibbs, 2010). These vessels served in firefighting, subsea intervention,

skimming, personnel transport, and other critical capacities.

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Charting the Course

The burden of crisis response is not shared equally across nations. Many incidents occur

in underdeveloped regions which frequently escape the attention of much of the world.

Meanwhile, disasters in more developed regions receive more attention and are addressed

quickly with the comparatively unrestrained funding reserved for wealthier nations (CRED,

2020). These factors have historically resulted in the infrequent, short-term, and/or unpublicized

use of commercial maritime assets as response resources. When called to action, however, they

have demonstrated their critical importance to affected regions while confirming the need for a

better approach regarding the utilization of these valuable assets. By creating the mechanisms

required to exploit available maritime resources, the Chaos Ready Resources concept can prove

to be an effective tool in addressing crises regardless of type, magnitude, or location.

Concept Objectives and Challenges

The regulations and requirements that tangle through the international maritime industry

pose both challenges and opportunities for the Chaos Ready Resources concept. Legal

limitations imposed on shipping including cabotage laws which restrict the operating areas of

many vessels to the boundaries of assigned national economic zones or between nations with

trading agreements and treaties (Pettersen et al., 2020). Even within a nation’s territorial and

economic oversight, legal and regulatory boundaries challenge reach and application of available

capabilities (Fuhrmann, 2019b). Developing the legal and logistical infrastructure required for

the use of commercial resources for response purposes must therefore start at the national level

with an intent to connect national frameworks into an overarching international network that

transcends unnecessary limitations.

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The U.S. offshore sector’s response to Puerto Rico in 2017 is an example of good

intentions impeded by such legal issues. Vessels stood ready to provide products and services but

were often hampered by strict and sometimes conflicting interpretations of the Jones Act, the

U.S. cabotage law (Fuhrmann, 2019b). Despite these restrictions, the capabilities of OSVs in this

response were recognized by U.S. government entities including the USCG and the Federal

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As a result, efforts were launched to develop a

framework that would facilitate the use of these resources in future crises via a NOSAC

subcommittee (NOSAC, 2019). The resulting report outlined a straightforward mechanism for

leveraging the existing capabilities of the U.S. offshore industry fleet for disaster response.

This mechanism consists of a matrix approach to assessing the latent capabilities of

OSVs based on the anticipated requirements for different types of disasters or emergencies. Once

established, the required capabilities of vessels, as response resources, would be explicitly

outlined and communicated to industry stakeholders. Vessel owners and operators, in turn, would

provide a pragmatic assessment of vessel and overall fleet capabilities as well as necessary

assurance of risk avoidance (based on modified Safety Management Systems [SMS]). Approved

vessels would be endorsed as Response, Restoration, and Recovery Vessels (triple-R vessels, or

“TRV”) (NOSAC, 2019). Ultimately, this would result in a database of resources with relevant

capabilities that can be called upon when needed, leveraging equipment that is within a

reasonable distance and with the appropriate facilities for a given crisis scenario.

The NOSAC report included recommendations to take advantage of the functionality of

existing vessel status tracking databases such as the USCG’s Marine Information for Safety and

Law Enforcement (MISLE) system. The USCG describes the MISLE system as its primary

operations business support platform (DHS, 2009). Used for everything from scheduling and
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recording operational activities such as inspections, investigations, and various response

activities the system is also used to generate official vessel documents such as Certificates of

Inspection which outline the activities for which a vessel is certified. While the MISLE system is

used primarily for law enforcement and regulatory tracking purposes, leveraging the multi-

functional scope of such a database can assist in quantifying the latent capabilities of OSVs (and

other vessels) and can serve as the foundation for a ready response network.

An early version of this approach was employed with reasonable success during the 2018

response to Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Applying the matrix style approach espoused by

NOSAC, the industry response to the community and commercial needs of the impacted region

provided an example of how existing infrastructure can be used to quantify and exploit the latent

resources available in the event of a disaster (Fuhrmann, 2019c). Conducting concurrent research

in Norway, Pettersen et al. (2020) came to similar conclusions as NOSAC regarding the utility of

OSVs as disaster response resources, demonstrating a level of universal recognition of their

innate capabilities. Continuing similar research and building off of the complementary,

independent conclusions of the viability of this concept, regional infrastructures can be built that

conform to applicable regulatory requirements.

Once established, these national frameworks can be examined and avenues for

international cooperation developed via organizations with global reach such as the International

Maritime Organization (IMO), which is responsible for developing international shipping

regulations and guidance (IMO, 2019). Industry leadership from such organizations can result in

the development of universally agreed standards capable of governing a global network of

available response resources. Ultimately, the objective would be to allow nations to exchange

response resources across national and economic boundaries when needed during crises.
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Partnerships in Viability

Regardless of the level at which related work is conducted, partnership and collaboration

with and between many disparate entities are critical elements in the management of maritime

resources for response purposes. Federal agencies are usually the first organizations called upon

in the event of a crisis. In the U.S., entities including the military (in particular, the USCG),

FEMA, and MarAd ostensibly work together to coordinate resources and ensure cooperation

between federal and non-governmental entities. Although generally effective, these exercises

have rarely been smooth, often being referred to as the “second disaster” (Fuhrmann, 2019b).

Multiple command structures have created misunderstandings and general confusion resulting

from poor communication of needs, responsibilities, and ongoing activities.

The work launched through NOSAC is a critical step toward fostering this type of

collaboration but represents only the beginning of what needs to be a collaborative process.

Addressing the challenges of disaster response and its challenges requires a cooperative

relationship between stakeholders. Additional and continuing research must include analysis of

what capabilities are required for certain disaster scenarios. Communicating with dedicated

emergency response agencies and not-for-profit entities will assist in determining the immediate

and continuing needs of disaster impacted regions and populations (DHS, 2019; IFRC, 2011;

WHO, 2017). In order to be effectively applied to address these needs, the latent capabilities of

existing maritime resources must first be quantified and compared against acceptable national or

international standards (Pettersen et al., 2020). Such universally agreeable standards do not yet

exist and developing such across a disjointed and diverse group of stakeholders stands as perhaps

the greatest challenge to establishing the viability of the Chaos Ready Resources concept.
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Return on Investment

Of course, none of this can be accomplished without the cooperation of the most critical

element of the Chaos Ready Resources concept – vessel owners and operators. These

stakeholders hold ultimate responsibility for the commercial concerns associated with OSVs and

other resources including, of course, ensuring the safety of their assets and the personnel that

operate them. Of more immediate, commercial concern, owners bear the brunt of potential lost

revenues resulting from utilizing assets for operations that fall outside of the activities for which

they are intended and marketed to paying customers.

The more complex and versatile OSVs can cost up to $10,000 USD per day, covering the

minimum operating expenses related to crew salaries, consumables, insurance, etc. (Gaille,

2019). In order for owners to consider alternate uses for their assets these costs must be recouped

in some manner. Monetarily, this may be in the form of federal subsidies that cover part or all of

the operating costs of vessels “enrolled” in the program. In exchange, contracts between vessel

owners and government agencies would guarantee those vessels will be available for response

operations if their capabilities are required, their location is within a reasonable range, or they are

otherwise not employed in a commercial task and can transit to the impacted region.

Government financial interests are no less important. With no guaranteed return on

investment, suggesting that governments provide financial support for unpredictable and

sporadic response efforts is a potential nonstarter. However, OSVs and other modern industry

resources represent practical opportunities for government agencies, as well. Designed for the

safe and efficient execution of incredibly complex operations and engineering tasks, these assets

utilize capabilities including dynamic positioning for commercial diving support and subsea

construction, among many other activities (Fuhrmann, 2019a). These technologies are seeing
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augmented use in modern naval forces and are increasingly applicable to national defense

operations undertaken by militaries and their support networks. More importantly, the skills

required to safely and effectively utilize these capabilities are directly transferrable to personnel

operating naval assets (Fuhrmann, 2016). As part of the distribution and acceptance of federal

financial support, governments could require vessel owners to commit time on board their assets

for the professional development of sailors, engineers, and military logistics personnel. Training

on board OSVs, which make up significant percentages of national fleets, can even supplement

the practical experience currently provided by dedicated training vessels (Fuhrmann, 2016)

For all stakeholders involved, the incentive behind utilizing resources for response

operations is not just commercial in nature but can nevertheless lead to multiple benefits via

improved public perception and relationships. Such efforts can be considered to contribute to a

global effort known as “peace engineering” that focuses on leveraging technology and resources

for the improvement of the human condition (Phillips, 2020). Altruistic efforts reflect positively

on companies and can result in a “warm glow” from the public and in increased investment by

socially conscious investors or through international and cross-industry relationships (Zivin &

Small, 2005). Companies and nations that utilize their respective industrial or military might for

humanitarian purposes demonstrate a level of selflessness and leadership-by-example that can

improve their standing on numerous platforms.

These are critical factors which require additional research and consideration across

stakeholders. While the coordinated fleet structure proposed by NOSAC lays the foundation for

addressing some of these concerns, the report also calls for further industry collaboration and

study (NOSAC, 2019). The end users of these capabilities must also be a part of these efforts in

order to fully understand interagency needs and logistics.

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Leveraging Opportunity

Regardless of their capabilities there are notable restrictions regarding the use of OSVs

for response activities including the Jones Act and other legal restrictions. A thorough

understanding of these limitations must be deliberated and understood. However, OSV operators

have overcome numerous obstacles already and have demonstrated their utility in disaster

response scenarios (Fuhrmann, 2019b). These successes serve as the precedents that establish the

safe and effective use of these vessels as essential elements of the intermodal transportation

system that can link disaster affected regions with critical port facilities.

While offshore support vessels have demonstrated that they are capable response

resources, a more critical element of the Chaos Ready Resources concept is the synergy between

OSVs and other response resources. Military vessels are available to respond to humanitarian

crises but may not be capable of serving as immediately useful resources (Apte et al., 2013). In

the case of the large commercial cargo vessels, many of these assets are limited as response

resources due to size, in many instances unable to gain access to potentially restricted harbors to

provide services or offload equipment (Offshore Marine Service Association [OMSA], 2019). In

circumstances where port facilities are damaged or inoperable, these larger vessels are unable to

provide self-unloading capabilities for cargo.

By comparison, the smaller offshore, coastal, and inland vessels have much less capacity

to carry goods but are much more versatile in where they can operate the functions that they are

able to perform. As a result, these vessels represent resources that can be directly employed to

serve in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. In such scenarios, OSVs carrying additional

equipment and facilities as part of their design, including cranes and helicopter landing facilities,
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may serve as a linchpin, enabling shuttle operations from larger vessels anchored offshore or

utilizing installed cranes and helicopter landing facilities for the transfer of equipment.

The unique capabilities of OSVs and the greater marine industry also opens up the

possibilities of further cooperation among intermodal transportation services. With its global

capability of transporting unique services and cargo, the marine industry can tie together land-

based modes of transporting supplies such truck, rail, and even air that have access to port

facilities (Zhang et al., 2011). Furthermore, if a region’s infrastructure is significantly damaged

maritime resources may provide the key to circumventing compromised supply lines.

Conclusions and Future Work

While garnering increasing recognition for their unique and innate capabilities, the wide

array of maritime resources remains underutilized in disaster response for many complex

reasons. As noted, OSVs are particularly capable of performing a variety operations within the

maritime response sphere but do have their limitations which are only partially attributable to

operational capabilities. Other restrictions are imposed based on regional and international laws

or other regulatory means, effectively excluding resources that would otherwise be immediately

available to lend support (Fuhrmann, 2019b). NOSAC (2019) established communication

channels between regulatory and federal response agencies that need further fostering to ensure

continued progress. Independent research that confirms the viability of these initiatives must be

communicated with international organizations for consideration of global applications.

Maritime resources across industry sectors carry disaster response capabilities as diverse

as the assets themselves and therefore difficult to categorize. However, understanding and

quantifying these characteristics in cooperation with regional and international response

organizations is key to developing an efficient and effective response at any level (Fuhrmann,
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2019c). Most importantly, promoting the utility of these assets serves to expand the options

available to response organizations which, according Zhang et al. (2011) may be over-reliant on

land and air based resource networks.

The Chaos Ready Resources concept recognizes the utility of OSVs and other industry

resources and creates a means of integrating these assets into a more effective global response

capability. Additional research is warranted, based on the premise that the elements of a better

disaster response mechanism are already available, an understanding of which will improve

critical infrastructure not only in the maritime sector but across industry boundaries.
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