-  Home 
-  Safety Awareness 

# In This Section

                      -  Safety Awareness Overview 
                      -  Pipeline Leak Recognition and What to Do 
                      -  Excavation Enforcement Final Rule                          -  Overview 
                        -  Rule Language 
                        -  Determinations of Adequacy 
                        -  Frequently Asked Questions 
                      -  Pipeline Emergency Responders Initiative (PERI)                          -  Overview 
                        -  PERI FAQs 
                        -  Eastern Region 
                        -  Southern Region 
                        -  Central Region 
                        -  Southwest Region 
                        -  Western Region 
                      -  Safety Awareness Reports Search 
                      -  Historical Pipeline Incidents 
                      -  Pipeline Failure Investigation Reports 
                      -  Marine Damage Prevention 

## Contact Us

Office of Pipeline Safety
U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWashington, DC20590United States

**Email:**phmsa.pipelinesafety@dot.gov**Phone:**202-366-4595****Fax:**202-366-4566****Business Hours:**9:00am-5:00pm ET, M-F

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

# Marine Damage Prevention

## Overview

 

In response to marine pipeline incidents, such as the gas pipeline struck by a dredge in Matagorda Bay near Port O'Connor, Texas, in April 2018, the Council for Dredging and Marine Construction Safety (CDMCS) Pipeline Task Force was formed. This task force included representatives from the dredging and marine construction industry, pipeline industry and government agencies, including PHMSA, to address safety concerns in marine environments as they relate to interactions between vessels and pipelines. These important industries operate in common areas and collaboration with dredging and marine stakeholders is critical to ensuring safety to persons, property, and the environment.

In January 2020, the CDMCS Pipeline Task Force issued two documents for mariners to prevent incidents caused by vessel interactions with pipelines and other critical oil and gas infrastructure. The "Pipeline Incident Prevention Recommended Best Practices Guide for Safe Dredging near Underwater Gas & Hazardous Liquid Pipelines" and the "Checklist for Safe Dredging near Underwater Gas & Hazardous Liquid Pipelines" that addresses pipeline safety, damage prevention, and emergency response in the marine environment. All mariners and pipeline personnel involved in dredging and marine construction activities should consider this guide and checklist a valuable resource.

## Related Links

                        - Council for Dredging & Marine Construction Safety
                        - Coastal and Marine Operators Pipeline Industry Initiative
                        - PHMSA Regulatory Requirements for Pipeline Operators of Hazardous Liquids Pipelines in Marine Environments
                        - PHMSA Regulatory Requirements for Pipeline Operators of Gas Pipelines in Marine Environments
                        - National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS)
                        - NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts
                        - BSEE Offshore Data Center for Pipelines, Platforms and Wells in Federal Waters
                        - BOEM Maps for Pipelines, Platforms and Wells in Federal Waters