Oil Spill Response Preparedness Research Articles

OIL SPILL RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS MODEL THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN TELUK PENYU BEACH, CILACAP REGENCY

In Indonesia, oil spill incidents often occur; thus, it has become a matter of national concern. Cilacap Regency is one of the regions in Indonesia that is prone to oil spills, with a history of frequent oil spill incidents during 2000–2018. Oil spill response preparedness needs the integrated effort between government and communities to minimize the environmental impacts of oil spills. A problem usually encountered is the lack of integration of community participation in the oil spill contingency plan because of the limited knowledge of the community regarding oil spill response preparedness. This study aimed to build an oil spill response preparedness model through community participation in Teluk Penyu Beach, Cilacap Regency. This study used the system dynamics modeling method. Results showed that the oil spill volumes in the waters (decay behavior) and on the beach (goalseeking behavior) rapidly decreased after 240 h (10 days). In conclusion, oil spill response preparedness needs the integration between company and community participation by increasing knowledge through community involvement in a combination of oil spill response exercises.

A True Roadmap for Response Preparedness Capacity Building in Developing States

ABSTRACT Throughout much of the developing world, capacity building efforts are often delivered without implementing guidelines, whereby receiving states accept offers and/or expend their own funds for training, technical assistance and resource procurements without sound long-term plans of how to effectively capitalize on the efforts and truly build sustainable response preparedness capacity. The scope of various international, governmental and nongovernmental programs available to countries in need is potentially vast, but all too often contractors, offering organizations, or multiple agencies within the same offering organization or nation, provide capacity building that is not always linked to each other or designed to optimally build upon each other in a successive manner that moves the sovereign recipient towards a more robust response preparedness posture. This paper illustrates how a simple application of program evaluation and strategic planning, used along with very basic drills and exercises and the ARPEL RETOS™ tool assessments, can help developing states set true paths towards building better oil spill response preparedness structures in drastically resource constrained, multi-agency environments. This paper discusses how RETOS™ was used to assess oil spill response preparedness throughout the Wider Caribbean Region and presents the audience with a new outlook for conducting capacity building efforts in developing states.

The Global Initiative for South East Asia

ABSTRACT The South East Asian region's risk for oil spills has been increasing for the past three decades. This is primarily due to the ever-increasing shipping traffic, especially tankers, bringing oil from the Middle East to customers mainly in China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Another factor is the growth in the exploration and production activities of international and domestic oil companies. Of particular relevance is the expansion of oil exploration into remote areas where oil spill response preparedness is very challenging. Through the years, the lack of credible legal frameworks and the disjointed approach have hampered the development of the critical elements of a robust oil spill response system such as national oil spill plans, training and exercise programs, ratification of the relevant international conventions, and mutual aid or bilateral agreements between neighboring countries. The Global Initiative for South East Asia (GI SEA), a collaborative effort between IPIECA and IMO (International Maritime Organization), aims to provide the governments of the Southeast Asian countries with the facility to work together with the oil industry to improve the state of oil spill preparedness and response. GI SEA is a direct response for a credible and effective oil spill preparedness and response system that takes into account each country's individual requirements and the region's needs. The Programme is built on the core principles of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) and implemented by the combined efforts of government and industry. This paper will present information on the current state of preparedness of selected South East Asian countries and the region as a whole. It will also describe the process of the formation of the GI SEA, including the major challenges of achieving consensus, building support, funding, and developing the individual country plans to suit their needs. It is also the intention to discuss the current and future activities of GI SEA.

Managing new expectations with Enhanced Tier I capability

ABSTRACT With the growing oil and gas sector in Australia, comes more stringent guidelines set by the regulators for the operators to demonstrate their capability in preventing another Montara or Macondo type incident. The setting up of National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) to provide oversight of all petroleum activities in the Commonwealth waters of Australia is a milestone to raise the operating standards of the industry. Together with the urge for operators to build up their in house competence for responding to oil spill incidents and the increasing importance of mutual aid agreements within the industry to form a new operating picture in the oil and gas sector. Being one of the major oil and gas operators, Chevron Australia Business Unit (ABU) plays an active role in fulfilling the requirements set by the regulators and equipping the team with the necessary skill sets and technologies to perform the duty of care to minimise the impact and damage to the environment during an oil spill incident. An Enhanced Tier I concept is developed to provide a guidance to the Emergency Management Team to build up the in house capability as a response agency for oil spill incident. In order to engage the operators in the region, Chevron ABU has also taken up the initiative to set up industry working groups to discuss issues like dispersant application, waste management and oiled wildlife response as part of the response strategies and how they can share knowledge and resources in the event of an incident. Continuous involvement in Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre (AMOSC) core group training and active participation in meetings with NOPSEMA allows ABU to keep up to date with the evolving changes in the field of oil spill response preparedness. Through the continuous improvement on the Enhanced Tier I concept and the engagement with internal and external stakeholders, Chevron ABU aims to meet the expectations set by the regulations and maintain the highest level of preparedness and response readiness for any oil spill incident.

CHALLENGES OF OIL SPILL RESPONSE IN EGYPTIAN COASTAL ZONE OVERLOOKING THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE RED SEA*

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of economic development in Egypt over the last few decades has led to numerous offshore projects, expanding maritime facilities and a vast spread of coastal tourist developments. However, adequate capacity building of existing national oil spill response facilities did not complement such growth. This has resulted in an imbalance between the degree of environmental exposure and level of preparedness to respond to potential oil and chemical spills that may occur along these highly sensitive coastal areas and to the marine environment of Egypt. Both the Red Sea and Mediterranean coasts of Egypt support thriving ecosystems and a substantial tourist industry centered around golden beaches, crystalline waters, and a plethora of plant and animal species that exist nowhere else on earth. At the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula Ras Mohammad National Park alone shelters over 130 species of coral and 116 species of fish. Only a few kilometers away, the Gulf of Suez is one of the worlds busiest industrial shipping routes. More than 117 million tons of oil pass through Egyptian waters each year and cross Egypt's main land through the SUMED pipeline from Ain Sukhna terminal (at the head of the Gulf of Suez) to Sidi Krir terminal on the Mediterranean. Another 28 to 30 million tons of oil go through the Suez Canal directly and there is a 15000-ship movement every year in Egypt. The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) has updated a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP), prepared in 1986 by the petroleum sector, in 1998. The NOSCP is the national framework for action in the event of an oil pollution incident. Updating, the NOSCP was just the beginning and not the end of the road. Challenges to take forward necessary action at all response levels to ensure efficiency of application of the NOSCP are enormous. Over the last few years concerned parties and stakeholders conducted several investigations and assessment to identify critical areas of concern and high exposure. Many assessment reports have identified gaps and addressed required measures needed to enhance bridging those gaps and restore the required balance between exposure and preparedness to recover from this situation. This paper considers the present status of the imbalance between environmental exposure and oil spill response preparedness along Egyptian coastline, describes current status of the NOSCP and the recovery measures taken to improve the situation and ensure credible response to potential major spills.

OIL SPILL PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE IN THE BOHAI BAY REGION – A MULTI LAYERED APPROACH 1

ABSTRACT In recent years, the Bohai Bay region has seen increasing activities in the areas of offshore oil exploration and production. This paper looks at the multi-layered approach taken by the oil industry members and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) Government Authorities, to address oil spill response (OSR) preparedness and response capabilities in the region. It documents the OSR activities conducted by EARL and the setting up of OSR equipment Centres. A good and strong approach has been given to OSR preparedness and response capability for the Bohai Bay region, by both the Government and oil industry members. This paper identifies, and suggest further steps needed to ensure preparedness and the capability to deliver an effective response to an oil spill incident in the region.

PREPAREDNESS ASSESSMENT… STILL THE KEY TO ACQUIRING AND MAINTAINING, “RIGHT MIX” CAPABILITIES

ABSTRACT The most recent national study of the adequacy of government owned versus private sector oil spill removal capability, known as the capability limits or (CAPS) review, is currently seven years old. While oil spill response preparedness assessments have continued via the National Strike Force Coordination Center Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO) assessment visits, the Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP), and the Spills of National Significance (SONS) exercises, the outdated CAPS review stands as a great impediment to the Coast Guard's ability to continue to make sound overarching policy decisions regarding known national oil spill removal equipment inventories and expertise levels as they pertain to oil spill risks. The CAPS review established a baseline by which regulatory decisions pertaining to the “Right government/private Mix” of capabilities for oil spill response could be made. The ability to accurately assess this mix is a critical component of the Preparedness model that has been used for oil spill response and should continue to be used for Preparedness for all contingency response. This model is depicted below in Figure 1.FIGURE 1PREPAREDNESS (TO RESPOND) MODELFIGURE 1. PREPAREDNESS (TO RESPOND) MODEL Prior to Sept 11, 2001, it was assumed that the costly and cumbersome to complete findings of the CAPS review would remain valid for an extensive period of time. This was a valid assumption given the stability of Post OPA 90 oil spill response capability at the time. When Sept 11, 2001 shifted government and private response priorities away from oil spills, the validity of the assumption began to degrade. Unfortunately, a request for an update must now compete for funding and support with security-related studies. Further, just as this study provides appropriate support for overarching oil spill regulatory decisions, so too could it be used as the national preparedness assessment model for any developing Hazardous Substance or Weapons of Mass Destruction legislation. The oil spill response communities' inability to promote the value of having an easily updated thorough CAPS review process ensures the model will be overlooked or dismissed in the development of a healthy national all contingency response capabilities assessment program. All of this negatively impacts national preparedness pertaining to either oil or HAZMAT response. To bolster my assertions this paper will first define and discuss impressions of the 1998 CAPS review. Secondly, the paper will review some of the long-standing response principles that have established assessment as crucial to preparedness in the oil spill response field. Lastly, the paper will outline an assessment model that incorporates the successes of the oil spill response program and explain the value that adoption of such a model would have for a national all-contingencies preparedness assessment program.

Practical Initiative by Pemsea / Earl to Promote OPRC in East Asia

ABSTRACT The issue of sustainable development is critical for the future prosperity of East Asia. The Region has seen rapid economic progress in recent years but at a cost to the environment. There is significant oil tanker traffic through the seas of East Asia as oil is transported from the Middle East to North Asia. In recent years, there have been a number of significant spills in the region. The oil industry has been active in establishing resources in the region, including East Asia Response Limited, to help with the response to oil spills. A GEF/UNDP/MO initiative PEMSEA (Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia) has been developing and promoting strategies and action plans to ensure better environmental management in East Asia. This can be best achieved by building partnerships amongst all the concerned stakeholders, public and private, at local, national and regional levels. Strengthening the technical and management expertise in environmental issues, including oil spills, of local government officials within the region is a key element in ensuring long term sustainable development. The private sector can play a very useful role in helping to build this expertise. East Asia Response and PEMSEA have been collaborating closely to improve the oil spill response knowledge and expertise of local officials in the region. Delegates to jointly held training courses have come from Brunei, Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The courses have allowed us a valuable opportunity to present to the delegates the oil industry's approach to oil spill response. Topics, such as the tiered response concept, contingency planning and net environmental benefit analysis have been well received. Delegates will now be better able to promote oil spill response preparedness and response capability in their home country, thereby, contributing to the sustained development of their economy.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF OIL SPILL RESPONSE OPTIONS: A NOAA-U.S. NAVY JOINT PROJECT

ABSTRACT The U.S. Navy is in the process of re-evaluating its oil spill response preparedness. As part of that effort, the Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have teamed up to continue development of a tool designed to help planners assess their response effectiveness: the Trajectory Analysis Planner (TAP). TAP is an interface to a database of thousands of modeled oil spill trajectories, an ensemble of trajectories that represent the population of all possible spills. The TAP interface helps response planners understand characteristics of the possible oil spills in a given region. With this understanding, they can not only plan for one or a few possible high-impact events, but can determine the best overall plan for many events, across a large spectrum of probabilities and levels of impact. This paper is the result of the joint NOAA-Navy project to extend the capabilities of TAP. The capabilities and interface of the current version of the program (TAP II) are presented, along with some of its limitations. The need and direction of the development of a new version (TAP III) that will address some of these limitations is discussed. This future approach will allow planners to assess how different response options are likely to influence the ultimate impact of an oil spill in a region.

Oil Spill Response Training and Exercises in Norway: Are We Prepared?1

ABSTRACT The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT) is responsible for coordinating a national contingency system against oil pollution in Norway. As part of this responsibility, SFT has conducted training and exercises for the private, municipal, and governmental contingency organizations for more than 20 years. This paper presents the current oil spill response preparedness in Norway and outlines different training and exercise programs adapted to the various levels of responsibility and the geographical areas of response. Furthermore, some of the issues and challenges faced by the reduction of governmental funding for training and exercises are discussed.

FIELD OBSERVER TRAINING FOR OIL SPILL RESPONSE

ABSTRACT Spill prevention is working. The United States is experiencing fewer and fewer spills and the spills that do occur have involved smaller volumes (USCG, 1999). This fact is an overwhelming positive. There is, however, one area where this gain can be seen as a minor setback for oil spill response preparedness. Fewer spills means less experience, fewer people who have responded to a spill, and fewer yet that have practical experience in making the critically important interpretations of what is observed in the field during an actual event. For this reason, training of the field observer is an increasingly important area of response preparation. The single most difficult aspect of field training is the lack of an actual oil spill. This paper explores some of the challenges of training field observers as well as sharing some of the successes. The emphasis is on training of aerial observers and shoreline assessment teams. The poster session will present photos, training aids, and response kits from several realistic courses, including those highlighted below.

OIL SPILL PREPAREDNESS: THE OIL INDUSTRY AND THE NATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

It is vital that there is a credible and well organised arrangement to deal with oil spills in Australia.The National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil, the umbrella oil spill response plan for Australia, is a combined effort by the Commonwealth and State Governments, the oil industry and the shipping industry.The Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre (AMOSC), formed in 1991, is an industry centre set up for rapid response with equipment and resources, together with a training and industry coordination role.A review of the National Plan in 1992, identified, amongst a number of issues, that the National Plan needed to be re-focussed, to ensure full integration of all government and industry activities for the first time. This has led to greatly improved understanding between government and industry and significant improvements to Australia's oil spill response preparedness. The National Plan review has also resulted in a clearer definition of the responsibilities for operational control, together with the organisational structure to deliver a successful response.The current state of Australia's National Plan is such that it does provide confidence that there is the capacity to deliver an effective response to oil spills in the marine environment. Nevertheless, there is more to be done, particularly in the areas of planning and exercises.