Section 363: Determination of hazard

The Receiver of Wreck shall be responsible for determining whether a hazard exists, taking into account the following criteria, as appropriate, without regard to the order in which the criteria are presented below-
(a)
size, type and construction of the wreck;
(b)
depth of the water;
(c)
tidal range and currents in the area;
(d)
proximity of shipping routes or established traffic lanes;
(e)
traffic density and frequency;
(f)
type of traffic;
(g)
nature and quantity of the wreck's cargo, the amount and types of oiI (such as fuel oil and lubricating oil) on board the wreck and, in particular, the damage likely to result should the cargo or oil be released into the marine environment;
(h)
vulnerability of port facilities;
(i)
prevailing meteorological and hydrographic conditions;
(j)
submarine topography of the area;
(k)
height of the wreck above or below the surface of the water at lowest astronomical tide;
(l)
acoustic and magnetic profiles of the wreck;
(m)
proximity of offshore installations, pipelines, telecommunications cables and similar structures; and
(n)
any other circumstances that necessitate the removal of a wreck.