For Capt. David Ward of the pollution control vessel Maine Responder, being prepared — and staying prepared — is one of the most important things he and his crew can do to keep coastal waters safe from an oil spill.

“At least one day a week we take the vessel out for training, because we have to keep the vessel ready to respond,” Ward said. “And even though we spend a lot of idle time, there’s a lot to maintaining the equipment. And that keeps us fairly busy.”

The vessel, which is docked in Portland, is one of 15 oil spill response vessels owned by the Marine Spill Response Corporation. However, Maine Responder was docked at Maine Maritime Museum in Bath on Saturday and open for free tours. Tim Plummer, chairman of the board of MSRC, a Lisbon Falls native, was pleased that it was offered to the community.

“I obviously have a huge Maine bias, and to support things locally, I was all for it,” he said.

The MSRC was formed in 1990 to offer oil spill response services and to help mitigate damage to the environment. Their services are available to organizations involved in handling and transporting oil and other substances, according to the MSRC website.

MSRC vessels, which are specifically designed to be used just for spill response, are equipped with a helipad, oil containment booms, oil recovery devices as well as other equipment, including radar technology and infrared cameras that can detect oil on the water.

“It’s all orchestrated really nicely and everybody knows what they’re doing,” said Eric Wyman, Maine Responder’s supervisor, who runs the response operations for the ship. He said there are usually 12 workers on board, although the ship can accommodate up to 38 people.

Ward, who has been the vessel’s captain since 1998, said some of the potential challenges in responding to accidents in the Gulf of Maine could be winter weather.

With a drop in temperature and high winds, Ward said oil could also congeal, in addition to making it a tough environment for workers to respond.

He recalled a time when the MSRC had responded to a spill in the fall of 1996 for the Julie N. in Portland, which was one of three spills the MSRC has responded to within 20 years.

“Had it happened in January or February, it just would have made our efforts that much more complicated,” he said.

Plummer also agreed that some of the challenges was always staying prepared.

“One of the keys that is very, very important to organizations like MSRC is to make sure that we remain always ready, that we don’t allow complacency to come in,” he said. “It’s a little bit more challenging to make sure you remain at a high level of readiness, even though you’re not having to deal with spills of any significance.”

Portland is Maine’s busiest port, and its harbor contends with a lot of traffic from oil tankers. The waters are also under threat from gasoline and diesel pollution from other vessels.

However, Plummer said there was some comfort knowing MSRC’s vessel is there.

“That’s where the primary exposure is, but that’s where our presence in Maine is,” he said.

What’s on board

MARINE SPILL RESPONSE Corporation vessels, which are specifically designed to be used just for spill response, are equipped with a helipad, oil containment booms, oil recovery devices as well as other equipment, including radar technology and infrared cameras that can detect oil on the water.