RPI was the prime contractor to NOAA for this project to develop a list of the most ecologically and economically significant potentially polluting wrecks in US waters. Starting with 573 wrecks that could pose a substantial oil pollution threat, additional research was conducted to identify 87 priority wrecks. The next step was ranking of the potential ecological and socio-economic impacts if there was an oil release using various risk factors. Recommendations were made for next steps for each of the 87 wrecks. The project results are published in a comprehensive report and 87 detailed vessel reports.