EFFECTIVELY MANAGING LEVEL OF EFFORT IN OIL SPILL CLEANUP: RESOLVING THE “HOW CLEAN IS CLEAN” ISSUE

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 663-666
Author(s):  
Peter A. Tebeau

ABSTRACT Successful oil spill response requires effectively managing the level of effort devoted to response operations. This includes choosing appropriate technologies and implementing them to achieve optimal environmental benefit, while controlling costs. At the end of the response, effective management requires resolving the “how clean is clean” issue to ensure a smooth termination of the response effort. Various approaches to making these management decisions are reviewed, based on experience in the Exxon Valdez, American Trader, and Morris J. Berman spills. The advantages and constraints of these approaches are summarized, along with suggestions about how the process might be facilitated.

Author(s):  
Alexander Krivichev ◽  
Alexander Krivichev

Russian Arctic shelf - rich larder of the hydrocarbons, at the same time Northern Sea Route (NSR) - a strategically important route for transporting them. The extraction and the transportation of the hydrocarbons along the NSR requires the solution of a number of ecological and economic problems in the first place to ensure environmental and technogenic safety. For the solving of these problems on the continental shelf it is required a system of comprehensive measures: - the development of the regulatory framework for environmental support oil and gas projects; - the introduction and use of integrated methods for monitoring environmental conditions at the sites of technogenic loads on the shelf of the Arctic seas, including the use of drones; - creating different models for assessing the marginal stability of ecosystems to technogenic loads during production and transportation of hydrocarbons on the continental shelf based on systems of dynamic simulations; - the development and use of sensitivity maps of coastal areas of the Arctic seas during oil spill response; - accounting of the results of the analysis of the total environmental benefit in the development of oil spill response plans; - application of the principle of "zero" resetting, due to the high fishery valuation in Barents and Kara seas and the conservation of marine biological resources.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 855B-857
Author(s):  
M. R. Ouwerkerk ◽  
P. R. H. Verbeek ◽  
T. Schut

ABSTRACT Trailing suction hopper dredges maintain ports and their entrance channels around the world. Several of these dredges have already operated as oil spill cleanup vessels as a secondary assignment. Different types of available oil spill response systems were applied. Recent developments allow these dredges to use their own dredge pumps, making these vessels by far the largest capacity oil spill cleanup vessels available in the world. The add-on system requires no modifications of the vessel and a relatively low investment. Tests have documented very good performance.


1989 ◽  
Vol 1989 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-191
Author(s):  
Darryle M. Waldron

ABSTRACT Oil spill response has evolved tremendously over the past 20 years in technology and technique, as well as in the social demand for a clean environment. The cost of response to a pollution incident has likewise grown at a time in which both federal and private funds are less available. Although the spiller may publicly claim he will clean up the spill no matter what the cost, cost becomes an issue as the bills start coming in. The purpose of this paper is to provoke consideration of the financial management of an oil spill response, not only to reduce costs, but to reduce confusion during the early days of a response. As in any type of emergency response, contingency planning is essential for success. Having designated, but flexible, procedures and plans in place before the spill will allow the experts to concentrate on mitigation instead of future litigation. The ideas presented here are based on experience in federal responses, common sense, basic financial management principles, and a business philosophy of integrity and efficiency.


1987 ◽  
Vol 1987 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-233
Author(s):  
Paul Waters ◽  
Albert F. Hadermann

ABSTRACT When ultrahigh molecular weight elastomers are dissolved in hydrocarbon liquids the resulting solutions become highly cohesive under tensile stress. The effect increases with increasing molecular weight and concentration of the polymer, decreasing temperature, and increasing viscosity of the liquid. The benefits derived from using ultrahigh molecular weight elastomers in oil spill response and removal activities are: increased resistance to spreading, automatic separation of oil and water at the skimmer, and increased capacity of skimmer devices. In general, these benefits translate into reduced labor, transportation, storage or disposal costs.


2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 909-911
Author(s):  
Declan O'Driscoll

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.


1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (02) ◽  
pp. 79-93
Author(s):  
Emilio A. Tsocalis ◽  
Thomas W. Kowenhoven ◽  
Anastassios N. Perakis

Both classical and new marine oil spill cleanup response methods and techniques are discussed. The intention is mainly to answer the fundamental questions of when, where, and how to apply the different methods. A brief review of the stages of the oil spill response problem is first presented, followed by the factors that influence the different methods. This is followed by an analysis of some new cleanup methods and improvements to existing methods, specifically: bioremediation, the use of more efficient ships for skimming, the use of fishing nets for heavy oil recovery, and new materials and designs of sorbents. Some cases are also analyzed to evaluate the performance of some methods under real conditions.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 945-946
Author(s):  
Jonathan K. Waldron

ABSTRACT The current worker safety requirements focus primarily on land-based hazardous waste disposal sites and emergency operations at land sites. It is often difficult to interpret the application of these requirements in the context of marine-related oil spill response operations. Overlapping governmental jurisdictions can cause problems associated with worker safety activities and suggestions relating to the application of safety requirements to persons who may become involved with a response effort are offered.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 645-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Ives

ABSTRACT A comprehensive examination of the major logistics elements of a large-scale oil spill removal organization (OSRO) has been completed, focusing on the contingency support aspects of the organization—the development of oil spill logistics concepts, processes, and infrastructure. The key principles associated with command and control, contingency planning, and resource management were considered in the context of the most recent major response—the barge Morris J. Berman spill at San Juan, Puerto Rico. The manner in which sound logistics support strategies quickly injected organization into response processes, shaped available options, and influenced the success of a major oil spill cleanup operation was observed and examined.


2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 433-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Najah Addassi ◽  
Ellen Faurot-Daniels

ABSTRACT The use of dispersants in marine waters off California requires detailed foresight and planning. In an effort to expedite a decision to use dispersants and reduce first strike response time, the Region IX Regional Response Team tasked Californias Marine Area Committees to recommend dispersant approval zones. Each Area Committee conducted Net Environmental Benefit Analyses for their areas of responsibility, and from those analyses recommended dispersant zone designations to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Regional Response Team (RRT). All zone recommendations were approved by the RRT in July 2002, and development of the remaining elements of the dispersant plan began. Using primarily a model developed in New Zealand, the authors drafted a comprehensive dispersant use plan for the waters off California. The U.S. Coast Guard Captains of the Port in California reviewed the draft plan, and tested it during the April, 2004 Spill of National Significance (SONS) drill in southern California. The streamlined decision flowcharts, imbedded “Decision Boxes” and operational appendices with further instructions, forms and resource contact information, proved the California Dispersant Plan was a very intuitive and workable response decision tool. During the SONS drill, this greatly improved the ability of the Unified Command to make a decision regarding dispersant use, get the resources in place, and begin dispersant sorties within the operational “window” for dispersant use. It is expected that the same expedited and informed response process will serve California well during an actual oil spill response.


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