Oil Spill Preparedness News

The IMO is urging Member States to contribute equipment to help UN-led efforts to prevent a possible catastrophic oil spill from the FSO Safer, an ageing and rapidly decaying floating storage offshore (FSO) unit moored 4.8 nautical miles off the Red Sea coast of Yemen.A converted super tanker, the FSO Safer contains an estimated 150,000 metric tonnes (approximately 1.1 million barrels) of crude oil, four times the amount spilled during the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989. It has been moored at Ras Isa since 1988 where it had been receiving…

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s National Oil Spill Response Research and Renewable Energy Test Facility, known as Ohmsett, has now reopened after undergoing significant refurbishment over the past eight months as part of BSEE’s ongoing maintenance plan. Originally constructed and operated by the U.S. EPA in 1974, the facility was passed to the U.S. Navy and then to the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service in 1990. Today, it is the only facility in the U.S. conducting full-scale oil spill response research, equipment testing and training using live oil.

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) future oil spill response plan will be informed by a new report that maps out possible threats to the UK's coastal areas, marine life, and traffic as a result of hydrocarbon releases from energy industry operation and shipping.The report on the review of the hydrocarbon release risk on the UKCS over the next decade was delivered for the MCA, by Xodus Group, in association with London Marine Consultants.The review evaluated the risk of a serious mineral oil release occurring in UK waters from vessels of more than 1…

The Alaska Chadux̂ Network (ACN) and the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) have finalized an agreement to develop and implement a program to respond to oil spill impacted marine mammals throughout Western Alaska, the U.S. Arctic, and Prince William Sound. The Agreement includes funding from ACN for ASLC to further develop oiled marine mammal response protocols and resources. In addition, the new program will involve opportunities to train, exercise and drill with ACN responders, including ACN partners in local communities…

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).

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…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)-supported 4th edition of the Adriatic Oil Spill Conference (ADRIASPILLCON 2019), was held in Opatija, Croatia (28-30 May)."Planning for any marine pollution incident requires ongoing communication, collaboration and cooperation. Regional and sub-regional contingency planning is an effective way to share resources and expertise," said the UN body in a press release.The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, shared its extensive experience and expertise in building capacity…

Planning for any marine pollution incident requires ongoing communication, collaboration and cooperation, points out the International Maritime Organization (IMO).Regional and sub-regional contingency planning is an effective way to share resources and expertise. This was in evidence at the IMO-supported 4th edition of the Adriatic Oil Spill Conference (ADRIASPILLCON 2019), held in Opatija, Croatia (28-30 May), said the UN body.Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, shared its extensive experience and expertise…

Increased commercial and oil activity in Liberia's territorial waters has seen the number of tankers and other ships supporting the oil activities, rise significantly.These activities are critical to the Liberian economy but pose a risk in the event of an oil spill, said a press release from International Maritime Organization (IMO).To address this issue, the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) has organized a workshop in Monrovia, Liberia (29 April – 2 May) which provided participants with incident management process information as well as an opportunity to test the newly learned material through an exercise.The…

Guyana is the latest country to benefit from International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s continuing work to strengthen oil spill response capacity in the Wider Caribbean Region.According to the UN body, Guyanese officials from 28 different government agencies, environmental stakeholders, and local industry representatives took part in the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency, Information and Training Centre for the Caribbean (REMPEITC)-Caribe training workshop (18-20 March) funded by IMO.Participants assessed Guyana’s oil spill readiness programme and further developed the National Contingency Plan for the country, it said.The workshop supports continued efforts by the Government of Guyana to ratify international conventions…

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…

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…

A training event on oil spill preparedness and response for countries in eastern Africa, was held in Dar Es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania (6-9 November).The  relevant government agency representatives with responsibilities in spill response in the countries like Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Somalia, United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda have participated in the training."In the event of a marine oil spill, relevant government agencies in the affected region need to manage and coordinate a response," a release from International Maritime Organization (IMO) explained the scenario.The…

No two oil spill response operations are the same. Each can present new and even tougher challenges for spill responders as they detect, contain and recover spilled oil. Diverse aspects affecting oil spill response operations can be the physical environment, spill monitoring, use of chemical dispersants, and the availability of proper technology for the situation.Some challenges have been met through research and technology development of techniques for dealing with spills. However…

Oil spill contingency planning is in the spotlight at an IMO regional workshop in Pulau Indah, Malaysia (2-6 July). The workshop is helping countries (ASEAN Member States: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.) in South East Asia become more familiar with the ASEAN Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan - designed to enhance cooperation between States. Participants are reviewing a number of aspects of the plan and exercising its communication procedures. IMO has long supported regional cooperation and capacity building in oil spill preparedness and response, including through a joint project with the oil and gas industry – the Global Initiative project for South East Asia (GI SEA).

How to implement the Aktau Protocol on regional preparedness, response and cooperation in combating oil pollution incidents was the subject of a workshop in Baku, Azerbaijan this week (18-20 June). The event brought together the five littoral states (Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation and Turkmenistan) of the Caspian Sea to test the Caspian Sea Plan concerning regional cooperation in dealing with oil pollution in cases of emergency, and guidelines on future regional oil spill exercises were developed. Discussions were held on integrating international assistance offers into the national preparedness and response system.

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.

Statoil awards Simon Møkster Shipping AS contracts for three emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRV), and Havila Shipping ASA for one ERRV. The contacts have a total value, included options, of NOK 2.7 billion. The vessels will be part of Statoil’s area-wide emergency response on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The emergency response vessels play an important role in addressing government authorities’ and the company’s own requirements for rescue, hospital, fire-fighting, emergency towing and oil spill preparedness. “Statoil has an extensive emergency preparedness system on the NCS, and through the contracts we have secured four vessels that are tailored to our waters.

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.

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)…

Now in its 20th year, and following a highly successful and well-received 2015 event in Amsterdam, this year’s industry-leading Interspill oil spill conference and exhibition is due to be held at the ExCeL in London, running between March 13-15. Co-located with the Oceanology International 2018 ocean technology and marine science conference and exhibition, Interspill 2018 provides a valuable forum, business and networking opportunity for oil spill industry professionals, academics and government representatives to discuss potential issues surrounding future oil spills…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has joined leading oil spill experts and stakeholders to discuss future issues concerning oil spill preparedness, response and restoration – at the Interspill 2018 conference and exhibition in London (13-15 March). Speaking at the opening session, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said that “many years of collaborative work between governments and industry, at IMO, have helped reduce dramatically the number of oil spills and the amount of oil spilt from ships”. Lim outlined how individual incidents had been catalysts for significant improvements, through IMO regulations, in areas such as ship design, operation, disposal of engine room wastes, as well as the framework for compensating the victims of pollution incidents.