THE OIL SPILL SAMPLING ADVISOR (OSSA): EXPERT SYSTEM

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 1077-1080
Author(s):  
Lawrence Keith ◽  
John Leeder ◽  
Rean Monfils ◽  
Bill Stavropoulos
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Expert Systems ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Laptop Computer ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Responsible Party

ABSTRACT Expert systems are computer programs that emulate a human expert's decision-making process in a particular domain of knowledge. Over 15,000 expert systems have been developed around the world for assistance over a wide range of topics and subjects. Expert systems are seen as having a dual use as they assist in the training of individuals in a particular subject, and they also offer fast, effective on-the-spot advice in the form of easy to answer questions. Oil spill response requires highly technical training and specialized knowledge. Several expert systems have been created to assist responders in the event of an oil spill and subjects have included beach cleanup, in situ burning of oil, protecting sensitive shorelines and the use of dispersants among others. However, none of the published oil spill response expert systems to date have incorporated how to effectively sample an oil spill, and yet the sampling of an oil spill needs to adhere to strict legal, International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) protocols in order to produce accurate and defensible data. The correct assimilation of data from oil spill response ensures that the responsible party/parties can be identified and are held accountable for any environmental damage that the spill has caused. The authors have recognized the gap in sampling guidance within all the available Oil Spill Response expert systems worldwide and therefore have created the Oil Spill Sampling Advisor or (OSSA) expert system through Leeder Consulting in Australia. The OSSA expert system is the first of its kind; a unique system to train and assist responders and pollution investigators with how to successfully take samples that will produce legally defensible data before, during and after an oil spill. For many small or developing countries (or ships at sea), it is not only highly impractical but also too costly to bring in sampling experts every time a spill occurs. As a result, if the responsible party has not been identified, the costs of cleanup and the environmental burden are frequently left for governments to bear. However, the new OSSA expert system provides a cost-effective means to help find oil spill polluters so that they can be responsible for paying the costs of cleanup. The OSSA expert system assists with training people to collect defensible forensic evidence, and it also provides on-the-spot information and advice to anyone having to collect an urgent spill sample. This includes all the necessary forms to be printed and filled out in order to ensure legal defensibility of the samples and resulting analytical data. Operating from a CD-ROM or an onboard ship laptop computer, OSSA is completely portable and accessible anywhere in the world at any time. This paper covers the advantages, disadvantages and common misconceptions of expert systems in the field of oil spill response. It also addresses how expert systems can be used as teaching tools and the unique framework utilized by Leeder Consulting in the creation of the OSSA expert system.

A NEW TOOL FOR LARGE-SCALE OIL COMBAT

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 855B-857
Author(s):  
M. R. Ouwerkerk ◽  
P. R. H. Verbeek ◽  
T. Schut
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Response Systems ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup

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.

National Oil Spill Response Planning in the U.S.S.R.: Principal Conceptions and Objectives

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
O. Khalimonov ◽  
S. Nunuparov
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Effective Utilization ◽  
Contingency Plan ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
International Monitoring ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
System Data

ABSTRACT International and domestic experience in the response to major oil spills at sea confirms the vital necessity of a national contingency plan to guarantee effective utilization of national resources and those of assisting countries and organizations. Experience in responding to recent major oil spills underlines deficiencies connected with the shortage of technical means and also with ineffective organization of the response and cooperation of all parties involved. This results in unjustifiable delays in decision making and, finally, in catastrophic damages to the environment. The main principles of the U.S.S.R. national oil spill response plan, currently under consideration for approval, are as follows:involvement of a wide range of national forces and forces of the neighboring countries under preliminary agreed-upon schemes;strengthening and development of appropriate legal instruments to stipulate obligations of the parties involved in pollution response operations;development of a mechanism to reduce impediments to financial, technical, and related agreements required prior to commencement of operations (sources of finances, preliminary approval of the response technology by competent authorities, facilitation of custom procedures);unification of the structure of the U.S.S.R national contingency plan with a view to making it compatible with corresponding plans of neighboring countries following the prototype developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO);cooperation in the establishment of the international monitoring system, data bank, and computerized exchange of information.

Oil Spill Dispersants

1999 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Fiocco ◽  
Alun Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Limited Extent ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Application Techniques ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Oil Spill Dispersants

Introduction: The purpose of any oil spill response is to minimise the damage that could be caused by the spill. Dispersants are one of the limited number of practical responses that are available to respond to oil spills at sea.When oil is spilled at sea, a small proportion will be naturally dispersed by the mixing action caused by waves. This process can be slow and proceed to only a limited extent for most situations. Dispersants are used to accelerate the removal of oil from the surface of the sea by greatly enhancing the rate of natural dispersion of oil and thus prevent it from coming ashore. Dispersed oil will also be more rapidly biodegraded by naturally occurring microorganisms. The rationale for dispersant use is that dispersed oil is likely to have less overall environmental impact than oil that persists on the surface of the sea, drifts and eventually contaminates the shoreline. The development of modern dispersants began after the Torrey Canyon oil spill in 1967. Many lessons have been learned since that spill, and consequently the modern dispersants and application techniques in use today have become an effective way of responding to an oil spill. For example, the dispersant response to the Sea Empress spill in 1996 demonstrated that dispersants can be very effective and prevent a much greater amount of environmental damage from being caused (6). This chapter describes the chemistry and physics of dispersants, planning and decision-making considerations, and finally their practical application and operational use in oil spill response.

CONSIDERATION OF TOTAL VOLATILE HYDROCARBON EXPOSURE DURING OIL SPILL RESPONSE1

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 979-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Grimes ◽  
Nicholas Olden
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Total Volatile ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Oil Spill Response

Public perception and environmental awareness place increasing demands on the petroleum industry to facilitate fast and efficient oil spill containment and recovery to mitigate environmental damage. HSE legislation also places increasing demands on Oil Spill Response Organisations to ensure a safe working environment for responders. This paper looks at the trade-offs facing oil spill response planning from the perspective of occupational exposure to Total Volatile Hydrocarbons (TVH). TVH is a term used to represent a large group consisting of hundreds of chemical compounds that derive from crude oil. Under certain circumstances, in-situ response measures represent a significant risk to local air quality and human health. Mechanical and manual oil spill recovery in close proximity with TVHs place spill responders and potentially the general public at an increased risk from fire/ explosions as well as acute and chronic health implications. Over the course of a spill, physical and chemical processes are continuously changing TVH composition. This requires rapid on-scene monitoring and/ or predictive modelling to optimise spill counter measures and responder safety. The use of personal and area TVH monitoring equipment is discussed in a practical spill recovery context, and an overview is provided of portable gaseous testing equipment with respect to key criteria such as; conformity, configuration, user-friendliness and robustness. Current developments in TVH monitoring models are reviewed and their contribution to future oil spill contingency planning assessed. Consideration is given to hazardous vapour exposure and the resulting health and safety issues that were faced by OSRL during the Tasmin Spirit and an inland well-blow out in Georgia.

MANAGING RISKS OF EXPLOSION DURING OIL RECOVERY, STORAGE, AND TRANSFER OPERATIONS

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 427-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry A. Romberg ◽  
Dennis M. Maguire ◽  
Richard L. Ranger ◽  
Rod Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Additional Risk ◽  
Operational Risks ◽  
Regulatory Standards ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Spilled Oil

ABSTRACT This paper examines explosion hazards while recovering spilled oil utilizing oil spill recovery barges. The risk of static accumulation and discharge is well understood after thorough investigations of several incidents in the 1970s and 1980s involving explosions on tank barges and vessels during petroleum cargo loading and unloading operations. However, those lessons learned only partially apply to oil spill recovery operations due to the differences in liquid properties, crew training, and additional tasks required during an oil spill response. While regulatory standards have been enacted for petroleum tankers and barges involved in commercial transportation of oil and other hazardous materials, the utility of these standards for oil spill response vessels has not been fully considered. Inverviews were conducted with marine transporters and response organizations to understand the wide range of operational risks and mitigation proceedures currently in use. This paper outlines the four basic conditions that must be present to create a static discharge-induced explosion during liquid cargo operations. A review of explosion casualty history was completed for cargo operations and compared to operations that create similar hazards during oil spill recovery operations. Specific processes that create additional risk of static-induced explosions during response operations were studied to review mitigation actions. Finally, recommendations for continued training are provided to help guide the spill response community when preparing for and responding to oil spills.

NEW IMO/EPPR GUIDES TO ARCTIC OIL SPILL RESPONSE – STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 1182-1193
Author(s):  
E. H. Owens ◽  
D. F. Dickins ◽  
L. B. Solsberg ◽  
O-K. Bjerkemo
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Field Guide ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Ice Conditions ◽  
Snow And Ice

ABSTRACT In 2015 and 2016, two complementary projects produced both a new strategic guide (in two versions) and an updated operationally oriented guide to assist managers, regulators and responders in responding effectively to oil spills in snow and ice conditions. The objective of the first initiative, which began as a Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) project, a “Guide to Oil Spill Response in Snow and Ice Conditions”, was to identify and describe the strategic aspects of planning and operations. This program gained a separate phase through the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) working group of the Arctic Council to adapt the Guide specifically for Arctic waters. The second initiative by EPPR was to update the 1998 “Field Guide for Oil Spill Response in Arctic Waters” while retaining the original operational focus. The 2016 version of the Field Guide incorporates major revisions and updates to sections on strategies and countermeasures, for example the use of herders and burning, dispersants in ice and specialized brush skimmers as well as advances in remote sensing and tracking. In addition, new sections address important topics such as Health and Human Safety, Logistics and Wildlife Response. The overall goal was to produce two complementary documents that provide a broad base of essential information to key decision-makers and responders at both the strategic planning level and at the field tactics and operations level. These two projects bring together a wide range of new knowledge generated over the past two decades that make many previous manuals and documents out of date. With such a vast amount of recent literature, the new strategic guide and the operational field guide update can only provide a brief summary of the new material but are valuable tools to indicate where the more detailed documents can be found.

SPILL IMPACT MITIGATION ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR OIL SPILL RESPONSE PLANNING IN THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2017-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Robinson ◽  
William Gardiner ◽  
Richard J. Wenning ◽  
Mary Ann Rempel-Hester
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Different Response

ABSTRACT #2017-351 When there is risk for oil release into the marine environment, the priority for planners and responders is to protect human health and to minimize environmental impacts. The selection of appropriate response option(s) depends upon a wide range of information including data on the fate and behavior of oil and treated oil, the habitats and organisms that are potentially exposed, and the potential for effects and recovery following exposure. Spill Impact Management Assessment (SIMA; a refinement of Net Environmental Benefits Analysis, or NEBA, in the context of oil spill response) and similar comparative risk assessment (CRA) approaches provide responders a systematic method to compare and contrast the relative environmental benefits and consequences of different response alternatives. Government and industry stakeholders have used this approach increasingly in temperate and subtropical regions to establish environmental protection priorities and identify response strategies during planning that minimize impacts and maximize the potential for environmental recovery. Historically, the ability to conduct CRA-type assessments in the Arctic has been limited by insufficient information relevant to oil-spill response decision making. However, with an increased interest in shipping and oil and gas development in the Arctic, a sufficiently robust scientific and ecological information base is emerging in the Arctic that can support meaningful SIMA. Based on a summary of over 3,000 literature references on Arctic ecosystems and the fate and effects of oil and treated oil in the Arctic, we identify key input parameters supporting a SIMA evaluation of oil spill response in the Arctic and introduce a web portal developed to facilitate access to the literature and key considerations supporting SIMA.

DEVELOPING A GUIDELINE FOR OIL SPILL RISK ASSESSMENT AND RESPONSE PLANNING FOR OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 314-327
Author(s):  
Torild Ronnaug Nissen-Lie ◽  
Odd Willy Brude ◽  
Ole Oystein Aspholm ◽  
Peter Mark Taylor ◽  
David Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Offshore Installations ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT Following the April 2010 Gulf of Mexico (Macondo) oil spill and the 2009 Montara incident in Australia, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) formed the Global Industry Response Group. This Group identified nineteen oil spill response recommendations (OGP, 2011) that are being addressed via an Oil Spill Response Joint Industry Project (OSR-JIP) during 2012–2014. The OSR-JIP is managed by IPIECA on behalf of OGP, in recognition of IPIECA's long-standing experience with oil spill response matters. One of the nineteen recommendations concerned the development of an international guideline for offshore oil spill risk assessment and a method to better relate oil spill response resources to the risk level. Consequently, the OSR-JIP has published a guideline covering oil spill risk assessment and response planning for offshore installations. This paper describes the development and content of the guideline, including how the oil spill risk assessment process provides structured and relevant information to oil spill response planning for offshore operations. The process starts by defining the context of the assessment and describing the activity to be assessed. Thereafter it addresses a series of key questions:What can go wrong, leading to potential release of oil?What happens to the spilled oil?What are the impacts on key environmental - both ecological and socio-economic - receptors?What is the risk for environmental damage?How is the established risk utilised in oil spill response planning? The guideline draws on existing good practices in the determination of oil spill response resources. It promotes consideration, in tactical and logistical detail, of the preferred and viable response strategies to address scenarios covering the range of potential oil spills up to the most serious. The methodology to evaluate the potential spill scenarios utilizes a series of questions:What are the viable techniques/strategies to deliver response with greatest net environment benefit?What are the tactical measures required to implement the identified response strategies, considering technical, practical and safety factors?What Tiered resources are required to mount the tactical measures and achieve effective response? The paper summarizes the useful tools, key information and the necessary level of detail essential to perform an oil spill risk assessment for use in oil spill response planning.

MARINE OIL SPILL RESPONSE OPTIONS: THE MANUAL

1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (1) ◽  
pp. 881-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott B. Robertson ◽  
Alexis Steen ◽  
Robert Pavia ◽  
LCDR David Skewes ◽  
Ann Hayward Walker
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Marine Oil ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Response Decisions ◽  
Different Response ◽  
Response Method

ABSTRACT When planning response activities for an oil spill, decision makers must react to a wide range of circumstances. Decisions will vary depending on the type of petroleum product spilled and the nature of the impacted habitat. Response decisions will be based on tradeoffs dealing with the environmental consequences of the spilled oil and the response method selected, as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of the method. A new manual, Marine Oil Spill Response Options for Minimizing Environmental Impacts, is being jointly produced by industry and government to facilitate decision making for both prespill planning and incident response. Guidance will be provided through matrix tables indicating the relative environmental consequences of the different response options used for various categories of oil in open water and shoreline habitats. This paper describes the contents of the new manual.

Spill Response Decision-Making in Relation to Wildlife Resources and Oil Spill Applied Technologies

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 311-318
Author(s):  
Debra Scholz ◽  
Steven R. Warren ◽  
Heidi Stout ◽  
Gregory Hogue ◽  
Ann Hayward Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Limited Experience ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
National Marine Fisheries Service ◽  
Spilled Oil

ABSTRACT During a response to spilled oil or hazardous material, the protection, retrieval, and rehabilitation of affected wildlife is the jurisdiction of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the US Department of Interior (DOI), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the affected state resource trustees. Only permitted and trained individuals (Qualified Wildlife Responders - QWR) are allowed to directly handle the affected wildlife. QWRs are familiar with a wide range of actions that can be taken to minimize the adverse effects of spilled oil on fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. However, decision-makers and QWRs are not always familiar with the effects that various oil spill products and technologies may have on different wildlife resources. Applied oil spill products and technologies are listed under the National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule (40 CFR § 300.317) and are the focus of the Selection Guide for Oil Spill Applied Technologies. These applied oil spill products and technologies are relatively unknown and most decision-makers have limited experience in their use. To facilitate greater understanding of these products and technologies, the Selection Guide assists the decision-maker to evaluate the various spill response products and technologies for potential or suspected impacts to the environment, workers, and natural resources. Of particular interest is the evaluation of the use of various oil spill response

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