Marine Spill Response Corporation

What Marine Spill Response Corporation does

Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) is a U.S. not-for-profit oil spill removal organization (OSRO) founded in 1990 by oil and gas companies in conjunction with the Marine Preservation Association (MPA). MSRC provides complete U.S. Coast Guard-classified OSRO coverage across the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (excluding Alaska), serving maritime shipping, refining, exploration and production, pipelines and terminals, rail, and offshore wind operators that must meet Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) planning criteria. Service offerings include oil spill response, exercise and training support, spill prevention and mitigation, disaster recovery emergency services, and case-by-case international response support.

MSRC operates the largest portfolio of oil spill response equipment in the United States, including Oil Spill Response Vessels (OSRVs), Oil Spill Response Barges (OSRBs), boom systems, skimmers, more than 500,000 barrels of dedicated storage, 22,500 feet of fire-resistant boom (the largest global inventory), over 190,000 gallons of stockpiled dispersant, and three dedicated Boeing 737 aircraft for high-volume aerial dispersant application. Its aerial surveillance stack includes aircraft-mounted multispectral and thermal infrared sensors, OSRV-mounted X-band and FLIR cameras, portable FLIR systems, and 4K/TIR drones enabling 24-hour recovery operations. A FirstNet Compact Rapid Deployable Unit provides standalone cellular and Ka-band satellite connectivity for incident command. More than 300 dedicated personnel operate across 40 manned sites, supplemented by a STARs contractor network of nearly 100 companies at approximately 250 U.S. locations and a founding membership in the Global Response Network (GRN).

The organization's funding model is structurally distinct from commercial OSROs: MSRC is funded entirely by MPA member dues rather than per-incident response revenue, aligning incentives toward readiness and efficiency rather than incident volume. Only MPA members may cite MSRC in vessel and facility response plans, creating membership lock-in; non-members may request services for smaller releases only via a service agreement with demonstrated financial responsibility. Direct contracts with the U.S. Coast Guard and the State of California provide additional government activation pathways. MSRC applies a transparent "all-in" pricing model with consistent daily rates inclusive of PPE, lodging, and meals, and a flat 10% mark-up on third-party STARs contractor services.

Name

Marine Spill Response Corporation

Legal name

Marine Spill Response Corporation

Website

https://msrc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Marine Spill Response Corporation is the largest U.S. not-for-profit oil spill removal organization (OSRO), providing complete U.S. Coast Guard-classified spill response coverage for maritime shipping, refining, E&P, pipelines, terminals, rail, and offshore wind operators across the continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oil Spill Response Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Oil Spill Response & Recovery (Marine & Inland Waters) (EUAIAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oil Spill Contingency Planning (OSCP) & Response Readiness (EUAHALAD), Marine & Coastal Remediation (Shoreline/Port Spill Cleanup) (IMAIAGAI), Firefighting & Emergency Marine Services (Fireboats, Onboard Fire Response) (TLAHAIAG)

Keywords

• Oil spill response
• Emergency response services
• Marine spill response
• OSRO classification
• Spill containment equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Herndon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Marine Preservation Association Membership Dues: As a not-for-profit organization, MSRC's operations, readiness and preparedness programs are funded entirely by Member dues to the Marine Preservation Association (MPA). Only MPA members may enter into a service agreement with MSRC and cite MSRC resources in vessel and facility response plans.
2. Oil Spill Response Services: MSRC provides a full range of oil spill response services for coastal and inland environments. Non-MPA members may only request MSRC services for certain smaller releases but must first execute a Service Agreement and demonstrate evidence of financial responsibility for the cost of the response.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) is a not-for-profit, U.S. Coast Guard classified Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) that provides a full range of oil spill response services for coastal and inland environments. The organization operates the largest portfolio of oil spill response equipment in the United States, including Oil Spill Response Vessels (OSRVs), barges, boom systems, skimmers, aerial surveillance systems, dispersant aircraft, and emergency communications packages, supported by more than 300 dedicated personnel across 40 manned sites.

Product overview

Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) is an oil spill response organization (OSRO) offering a comprehensive portfolio of emergency response services, equipment, and capabilities for the petroleum transportation and energy industries. The company's offerings are organized into service categories (Oil Spill Response, Exercise & Training Support, Spill Prevention & Mitigation, Disaster Recovery Emergency Services, and International Response Support) complemented by extensive equipment capabilities including Mechanical Recovery systems, Aerial Tracking & Remote Sensing, In Situ Burn, Dispersant Application, and Emergency Communications. MSRC's equipment fleet includes Oil Spill Response Vessels (OSRVs), Oil Spill Response Barges (OSRBs), boom systems, skimmers, and support vessels strategically pre-positioned across the U.S. The STARs Contractor Network provides supplementary resources at approximately 250 locations, and the Customer Portal offers customers access to operational information and publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oil Spill Response

Quantifiable outcome

• Responded to more than 1,000 oil spill events since 1990 with zero failed responses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Global Response Network (GRN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSRC is a founding member of the Global Response Network (GRN). The mission of the GRN is to maximize the knowledge and expertise that each spill response organization has individually and to share such information with other GRN members for enabling each organization to provide a better response to their respective members or customers. MSRC plays an active role in leadership positions and participates in GRN operational teams.
• STARs (Spill Team Area Responders) Contractor NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNearly 100 companies at approximately 250 locations comprise the STARs contractor network. These contractors supplement MSRC's dedicated personnel and provide specialized capabilities across the nation. The STARs network includes companies with various spill response capabilities including on-water storage, vac trucks, skimmers, boom, OSRVs, aircraft, and more. MSRC applies a straight 10% mark-up on third-party services from STARs contractors.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is a large publicly traded environmental services firm offering spill response alongside broader hazardous waste management, industrial services, and emergency response—directly overlapping MSRC's core oil spill and hazardous materials response business at greater scale.
• SMIT Salvage (Boskalis): SMIT Salvage, part of Boskalis, is a globally scaled marine services and salvage operator with substantial oil spill response capability, offering a much larger but overlapping alternative to MSRC for major incident response.

Others

• Witt O'Brien's: Witt O'Brien's is an emergency management and crisis response consultancy that supports oil spill preparedness planning and incident command, complementary to MSRC's OSRO response services rather than directly competitive.

Direct peers

• T&T Salvage: T&T Salvage is a specialized marine salvage and emergency response contractor providing oil spill response, wreck removal, and heavy lift—closely aligned with MSRC's nearshore and offshore response operations.
• Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL): OSRL is a global OSRO funded by oil and gas members (the international counterpart to MSRC's MPA-funded model), operating similar at-sea recovery, dispersant, and storage capabilities worldwide.
• National Response Corporation (NRC): NRC is one of the largest U.S. OSROs and a direct competitor to MSRC, providing oil spill response, industrial services, and emergency response across U.S. ports and waterways with comparable Coast Guard-classified capabilities.
• Resolve Marine Group: Resolve provides marine salvage, wreck removal, and emergency response services globally, operating as a competing specialized OSRO with comparable on-water recovery and incident command capabilities.
• Donjon Marine: Donjon operates a large marine service fleet including oil spill response barges, harbor tugs, and salvage assets along the U.S. East Coast and Great Lakes, directly competing for OSRO and marine emergency response work.
• Ardent Global (Ardent Marine Services): Ardent provides oil spill response, salvage, and marine services globally through a network of regional response bases, directly comparable to MSRC's equipment-site strategy and OSRO service model.

Emerging players

• Wild Well Control: Wild Well Control provides well control and offshore oil spill response, focusing on source control and capping stack operations—an adjacent but related capability set relevant to MSRC's offshore and E&P customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/2108897132660135

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marine Spill Response Corporation