Ipieca News

Work is underway to further develop Viet Nam’s national oil spill contingency plan at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, this week (26-29 November).Forty participants from across 10 government departments and the oil and gas and shipping industry are taking part in the workshop, which is the latest in a series of International Maritime Organization (IMO)-assisted events on oil spill contingency in South-East Asia.Participants are being introduced to international good practices and developments in the field of oil spill preparedness and response – and supported to identify areas for improvement in Viet Nam’s existing national framework.An action plan to finalize the draft National Oil Spill Contingency Plan will be agreed.Accession to IMO’s Oil Pollution Preparedness…

Supporting countries to prepare for contingencies is an important part of International Maritime Organization (IMO) 's capacity building work.Thailand is the latest country to benefit from IMO assistance to update its oil spill contingency plan at a National Workshop on National Contingency in Bangkok (24-27 September).Thirty-five participants from 15 government entities and oil and gas  companies learned about the latest international best practices, and developments, in the field of oil spill preparedness and response and identified areas of improvement in their existing national plan.The workshop was organized under the framework of the Global Initiative project for South East Asia (GI SEA), a joint project with the oil and gas industry (IPIECA).

According to International Maritime Organization (IMO), one of the key elements in oil spill contingency planning is to define the communication channels to be used by cooperating parties when facing an incident.A workshop in Pulau Indah, Klang, Malaysia (19-21 August) has brought together officials from states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to help bring into operation the Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan, which was adopted in 2018.Participants from nine countries got to grips with key elements of the plan and practiced communications between States, in order to identify any gaps and lessons to be learned.The workshop will help drive forward the implementation of this recently adopted plan…

Supporting countries to prepare for contingencies is an important part of International Maritime Organization (IMO) 's capacity building work.According to the UN body, Cambodia is the latest country to benefit from IMO assistance to update its oil spill contingency plan, by identifying country-specific risks and existing gaps in order to be able to respond effectively to oil spill incidents.A national workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (6-9 August) has brought together 60 participants from 20 government entities and oil companies.Attendees received an overview of the international framework for oil spill preparedness and response and are…

Safeen, the provider of integrated marine services in the Middle East and subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports, has collected over 120 tons of floating sea debris in Abu Dhabi waters last year, recycling more than ten tons of the collected material.Capt. Adil Banihammad, Acting CEO of Safeen, said: “The establishment of the Environment and Anti-Pollution Department at Safeen, under the Marine Services Directorate back in 2015, demonstrates Abu Dhabi Ports’ utmost priority to protect the environment, attain sustainability and preserve marine resources and life.”“The department, run by Emirati staff trained to the highest international standards…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) technical assistance and institutional support has been instrumental in the recent adoption of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan.IMO said that the plan was adopted by the 24th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting, held in Bangkok, Thailand (8 November). The Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan provides for a mechanism whereby ASEAN Member States can request and provide mutual support in response to any oil spills.It also ensures a common understanding and effective integration between affected and assisting ASEAN Member States, in the event of incidents involving oil spills…

The intense shipping and offshore exploration activities in the Gulf of Guinea pose major risks to its coastline, so the country pays special attention to protecting its coastline, said International Maritime Organization (IMO)Last week (12 - 15 November) a national workshop aimed at building the country's oil pollution preparedness and response capacity was held, under the auspices of the GI WACAF project – a collaboration between IMO and IPIECA - the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues.The participants were able to gain key knowledge and skills – notably regarding assessment techniques and clean…

Myanmar is the latest country to benefit from International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s work to enhance marine oil spill preparedness and response in the ASEAN region.A press note from the UN agency informed that a training course for senior officials and members of the national oil spill management team is taking place in Yangon, Myanmar (12-14 November).The training is focused on the effective response to oil spills, including on both managing risks from shipping and incident management. It builds on on-going efforts by the Myanmar National Task Force for the development of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, which is reaching finalization.The training course coincides with the completion of the plan…

Namibia has hosted of a series of events addressing oil spill preparedness and response, with two back to back workshops in Swakopmund (22-24 May and 28-31 May) developed with a view to improve the national preparedness and response system in the country. A first workshop was held to provide participants with an overview of the essential skills needed to prepare for and respond to oil spills at an operational level including contingency planning and risk assessment. The second event focused on shoreline response and clean-up management plan during an oil spill incident. For example, deciding on what strategy to adopt depending on the type of oil spilled, the type of shoreline and the availability of equipment.

Emergency preparedness and response in the oil and gas sector was at the core of a workshop held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea (7-10 May). The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the country's capacity to prepare for and respond to marine pollution from oil spills. This workshop follows on from a series of events developed with the Republic of Equatorial Guinea with a view to making recommendations to improve the national preparedness and response system in the country, including a more robust national oil spill contingency plan. The course also focused on the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC), which deals with pollution incidents, either nationally or in cooperation with other countries.

A regional conference of countries in west, central and southern Africa has committed to continue to work at both national and regional levels to boost preparedness to deal with oil spill incidents which could be devastating both for the marine environment and financially. The conference (6-9 November) in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, was hosted by CIAPOL, the Ivoirian pollution control centre. It brought together industry and government focal points from 20 out of 22 west, central and southern African countries covered by the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI-WACAF). This project is run by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)…

Current research and technical developments in oil spill preparedness and response were in the spotlight at a major seminar in Tianjin, China (20-21 September). The International Oil Spill Response Technical Seminar brought together over 150 representatives of national government, oil industry and oil spill response companies. International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Colleen O’Haghan presented on the Organization’s International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) – the treaty covering measures for dealing with pollution incidents, either nationally or in cooperation with other countries. The seminar was organized by Yantai MSA and CNOOC Energy Technology and Service Safety and Environmental Protection Co. under the GI China Project.

The use of oil spill dispersants, which can be used to break down an oil slick into smaller droplets as part of response efforts, is the subject of a workshop taking place in Dakar, Senegal (17-20 July). Participants from 11 countries (Benin, the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Togo) are attending the sub-regional workshop, which will analyse national policies on dispersant use and provide training on further development and implementation of these policies. The event is also looking at how the Net Environmental Benefit Analysis – a decision-making concept used to help ensure that the response to an incident does not result in greater harm to the environment than may have already occurred.

A tanker collides with an unknown ship off the Ivorian coast, causing a major oil spill. This was the scenario of an oil spill training exercise that took place in Abidjan and Assinie, Côte d’Ivoire (8-9 June). The deployment exercise involved more than 100 participants from various public institutions and the private sector, working together to fight the simulated spill, first at sea and then ashore. The event tested Côte d’Ivoire’s National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, which has been developed over recent years with support from the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) – a joint IMO-IPIECA project. Following the training…

International experts have been sharing experiences, new technologies and scientific advancements relating to oil spill response at the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) in Long Beach, United States (15-18 May). The theme of the conference is “prevent, prepare, respond and restore”, which fully aligns with  International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s regulatory work to prevent oil spills from occurring and also its work to support countries to be prepared to respond to such incidents. IMO`s capacity-building activities include training for oil pollution preparedness and response through simulation of oil spills. IMO is a co-sponsor of the triennial conference alongside the oil industry body IPIECA…

The 50 years since the grounding of the tanker Torrey Canyon in 1967 have seen dramatic and sustained reduction in major oil spills from ships, thanks to cooperation between Governments and industry. The story of how that incident served as a catalyst for positive change is told in a new exhibition which was launched on Monday (16 January) at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations agency with responsibility for the safety and security of international shipping and the prevention of pollution from ships. A series of panels chart the collaborative work which has resulted today in a comprehensive regulatory framework…

The implementation of a global low-sulphur fuel law for ships in 2020 would prevent 200,000 premature deaths globally, a health study by a group of researchers from the United States and Finland reveals. A report in the Guardian quoting an unpublished International Maritime Organisation (IMO) study warns about deaths from lung cancer and heart disease. Fatalities from illnesses such as asthma were not covered by the leaked paper, which was based on shipping satellite data and modelling work. “Delaying this action for five years would contribute to 200,000 extra premature deaths due to the toxic fumes, mainly in coastal communities in the developing world that barely benefit from global trade…

Pressure is mounting on the global oil and gas industry to reduce environmental footprint at the same time as the industry is under significant cost pressure. Since business as usual is not an option, DNV GL has launched two papers to advise the industry on how and where to make impactful changes within financial constraints. The paper, ‘A cost-efficient approach to reducing environmental impact’ provides a framework for the industry on how to improve environmental sustainability by identifying the most cost-efficient mitigating measures. To demonstrate how the abatement framework can work in practice, DNV GL has also carried out a case study for an offshore asset.

Reed Exhibitions Energy and Marine group (RX Energy and Marine) is launching a series of oil spill prevention and response technology and service zones throughout its global portfolio in collaboration with the U.K. Spill Association (UKSpill) and the European Spill Association (Eurospill). As commercial operations in the world’s oceans continue to develop, the requirement to be able to operate with the least possible environmental impact is an even greater focus than it has ever been for all industries. Also, as activities move into new and harsher territories, meeting this requirement means the development of new strategies and technologies to cope with different and challenging environments.

IMO & IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues, jointly launch a new Global Initiative (GI). The GI programme, aimed at improving the oil spill preparedness and response capabilities in south east Asia was launched at a recent regional workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia. IMO and IPIECA have, for a number of years, been working with their international and regional partners to establish this new regional programme, which demonstrates a major commitment from both Government and industry to improve oil spill preparedness and response in the region.

Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) and Clean Caribbean & Americas (CCA) join up to meet the needs for global oil spill response. Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is an industry-owned cooperative which exists to respond effectively to oil spills anywhere, anytime. OSRL provides preparedness, response and subsea well intervention services and works closely with other industry organisations e.g. IMO and IPIECA to share expertise and develop knowledge. OSRL will acquire CCA’s assets and personnel, with CCA’s Fort Lauderdale base in Florida becoming a regional response base supporting OSRL’s global response capability. Members of CCA will become Members of OSRL and thus receive membership services from OSRL going forward.

ExxonMobil & Rosneft sign 'Declaration on Protection of the Environment & Biodiversity for Oil and Gas Exploration & Development on Russian Arctic Continental Shelf'. The declaration was signed during a meeting between Igor Sechin, president and chairman of the management board of Rosneft, and Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, and senior managers from both organizations. The declaration sets out measures to help protect the Arctic’s ecosystems during oil and gas exploration and development activities to be undertaken by Rosneft and its partners. The parties have agreed to form a joint working group to consider establishing a coordination center that may include representatives of Roskosmos…

The IMO will hold the Third International R&D Forum on High-Density Oil Spill Response on March 11-13, 2002 at Brest, France. The forum, which will examine research and development of new technology in oil spill response, particularly regarding spills of high density or heavy oils like bunker oil, is being organized by IMO in co-operation with French authorities. The Forum is co-sponsored by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, United States, the European Commission, IPIECA and ITOPF. A number of incidents, including the Nakhodka in 1997 and the Erica in 1999, have highlighted the need to examine how to effectively respond to spills of high-density oil.