Co-Operative Planning Approach: A South-West Atlantic Frontier Exploration Area

Abstract

ABSTRACT Oil industry alliances bring benefits in various fields, including emergency planning. The benefits will include consistency in oil spill response plans and procedures, plus potential cost savings. Government, organisations and groups involved will appreciate a single and comprehensive consultative process. Time and money will be saved, plan formats will be consistent and there will be less scope for confusion. Partnership building will be stronger and more effective. This paper will use a case study of cooperative oil spill contingency planning in the south-west Atlantic to illustrate these points. The Falkland Islands archipelago lies in the south-west Atlantic, approximately 400 km east of the tip of the South American mainland. In 1996 the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) undertook its first round of oil exploration licensing and awarded acreage. Four of the successful operating companies formed the Falklands Operators Sharing Agreement (FOSA). This co-operation extended to a number of areas, including a joint approach to oil spill contingency planning. Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) worked with FOSA to produce a generic oil spill contingency plan, to function for all the companies and differ only in its emergency contact section. The contingency planning process closely followed the guidelines promulgated by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA, 1991) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO, 1995). A key factor was liaison with groups on the Islands and interfacing with the new Falkland Islands national oil spill contingency plan, which this paper will introduce.