VENEZUELAN NATIONAL OIL SPILL TRAINING PROGRAM

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper describes the development of an oil spill training program for the Venezuelan National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. The courses in the program will be offered to the different personnel levels of the Venezuelan oil industry which will be assigned to the national, regional, and local response teams. Training details will vary with the type of oil installation (drilling platform, refinery, terminal, etc.), the geographical location (Lake Maracaibo, mangroves, coral islands, etc.), the type of organization (regional, local, etc.), and the level of the personnel involved (supervisory, operational, etc.). The course objective will be to train 200 individuals a year from the Venezuelan oil industry, and will be open to other non-industry organizations with involvement in the National Contingency Plan (such as the armed forces, and transportation and environmental agencies). The program emphasizes practical hands-on training using the containment, cleanup, and dispersant applications equipment acquired for the national plan. The courses also will give the participants practical experience in other pertinent aspects such as: legal, organizational, reporting, and use of decision support aids available to the plan. The program also includes at the end of the year an exercise/drill which will be hosted by the regional areas in order to review the previous instructions and/or detect operational problems in the current national plan.