Oil Spill Simulants Workshop Process and Outcomes

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-113
Author(s):  
Elise G. DeCola ◽  
Tim L. Robertson ◽  
Jeremy Robida ◽  
Brian House ◽  
W. Scott Pegau

ABSTRACT In March 2013, a high-level workshop of national experts was held to consider the potential permitting and use of oil simulants in U.S. waters to improve oil spill response planning and operations. The workshop was the culmination of a six-month workgroup process that brought together researchers and responders with knowledge and experience in oil spill response, research and development, spill modeling, and regulatory oversight. While nationally focused, the project was spearheaded by Alaska, where stakeholders and regulators had recognized the need for a simulant material to support research and development, testing spill response technologies, and training responders for Arctic and sub-Arctic spill response. The workshop yielded a strong consensus that there is a need for simulants to facilitate advances in oil spill response technologies, research and development, and training. There was also agreement that the current permitting regime is uncertain and untested, that a pilot project was needed to test the potential to permit an oil simulant release, and that there was a need to include oil simulants in the national response framework.

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ron H. Goodman ◽  
Debra Simecek-Beatty ◽  
Don Hodgins

ABSTRACT The use of tracking buoys in oil spill response, planning, and training and criteria for the selection of these buoys were studied in conjunction with an experiment conducted in the Gulf of Mexico during March 1994 on the relative motions of several oil spill drifter buoys. For the test, wood chips and cottonseed hulls were used to simulate the motion of the oil. Six different types of buoys and three different positioning and tracking systems, in various combinations, were tested. The first day of the program was conducted in Galveston Bay, the second in the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston. Significant differences were noted in the movements of the various buoys. Analysis of the data from these experiments suggests that tracking of the buoys should occur for a longer time period than in the experiments in order to reduce the influence of positioning errors.


Author(s):  
G. M. Skeie ◽  
I. S. Kristoffersen ◽  
F. Engen ◽  
P. M. Sævik ◽  
H. Lura ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT On behalf of the operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the Norwegian Clean Seas Association for Operating Companies (NOFO) has the responsibility for providing a documented and verified level of oil spill response, fulfilling the requirements set by the regulatory authorities for each individual production and exploration activity. To meet this responsibility and document the established oil spill preparedness, a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary project has been undertaken, integrating results and lessons learned from oil on water exercises and test facilities in the period 1985 to 2018. The structured results feed into standardized algorithms for system capability and operational windows, applicable across all combat methods in the NOFO toolbox. Through gap and sensitivity assessments, topics for R & D area prioritisation are identified. Data and information are structured in order to fit into the assessment methodology for Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA) and Spill Impact Mitigation Assessments (SIMA), and a step by step methodology for oil spill response assessments (OSRA) was developed as part of the project, facilitating standardised and comparable oil spill response plans. In addition to this standardisation and documentation process, templates for presentation of key data for oil spill response planning purposes are developed, and disseminated to a dedicated web site, as well as the NOFO Common Operating Picture GIS. In this way, a cohesive set of data and standards are available for use in assessments, planning, authority assessment and in incidents.


1985 ◽  
Vol 1985 (1) ◽  
pp. 639-639
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Ballou ◽  
Charles D. Getter ◽  
Bart J. Baca ◽  
Mohammad Al-Sarawi ◽  
Christine L. Vilardi

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 767-773
Author(s):  
Hilary Hoagland-Grey ◽  
David Archer

ABSTRACT The opening of Eastern Europe to western companies has created a need for international cooperation between these companies and Eastern European governments. This new relationship presents a particular challenge for the oil industry as well as an opportunity for emerging governments to benefit from western companies’ experience. In 1993, Texaco Offshore Bulgaria submitted the first western oil spill response plan for the Bulgarian Black Sea. This paper presents a case study based on Dames & Moore's preparation of this plan. The plan was prepared in cooperation with the Bulgarian government, and included public discussions. It joined the country's existing response resources with Texaco's existing international response strategy. The result was a plan combining local knowledge and support and western capability and experience. This paper outlines the issues addressed in the plan. One critical point discussed below is that of protecting tourist beaches, which are an essential part of the Bulgarian economy. The paper concludes with a discussion of how cooperation between western industry and Eastern European government can result in successful oil spill response planning and help identify key factors for both attaining and maintaining preparedness in the face of the new challenges.


1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
O. Khalimonov ◽  
S. Nunuparov

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 837-846
Author(s):  
Jin Xiang Cheng ◽  
Chun Chang Zhang ◽  
Hong Lei Xu ◽  
Shou Dong Wang

ABSTRACT In recent decades, China's strong economic development has brought higher risk of oil spill at sea from ships, oil exploration and land. Accordingly, China government has enacted some new laws and policies such as the compulsory requirements on certain ships calling Chinese ports enter into a preparedness and response contract with a pre-approved response organization, up to now, there are already 137 private oil spill response organizations along the coastline. Also, the port operators are required to invest on oil spill response equipments depending on the result of risk assessment. At the same time, the central government has invested more 20 stockpiles along the sea port and Yangzi River. Nowadays, the amount of clean-up equipments has reached to a historical high level, and the total investment in recent three years is near ten times more than those ten years ago. Therefore, scientific evaluation of the risk and its spatial distribution of oil spill, and development of the reasonable and effective oil spill response capability planning, are the major demands for marine environmental risk management in China. To solve the issues above, a model with oil spill risk evaluation and multi-objective response resources layout is proposed for multi–sources risk. Hopefully, the model will be used to develop the national plan for National Contingency Plan for oil spill capability building in China.


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