The risk based alternative to the prescriptive EDRC approach to oil spill preparedness and response.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 1784-1794
Author(s):  
Paul Foley
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
A Chain ◽  
The One ◽  
Local Regulator ◽  
Responsible Party

ABSTRACT Every spill is different. This is the one globally accepted truth of oil spill response, and never more so than when responding on a global scale. The number of potential variables that combine to shape the event and the ensuing response are almost incalculable. Each incident produces a chain of events that must be analysed, assessed and acted on to build the most appropriate response with the effective application of the resources available. The amount, type and availability of such resources depend largely on the rigor and level of preparedness that the responsible party has put in place or that is required by the local regulator based on prescriptive criteria. This paper explores the risk based approach to the development of oil spill preparedness, allowing mitigating measures to be tailored to the specific risks faced and offering an alternative approach to that offered by the more prescriptive and generic volume based approaches. Advantages and disadvantages of the risk based method are discussed and then anchored to the tiered approach to preparedness. The author draws on first-hand experience of how both approaches translate from the ‘page of preparedness’ to the ‘field of response’. Using international case histories as a reference the author draws conclusions as to whether the inherent variation experienced in spill response should translate to a more flexible, bespoke and risk based approach to the development of a robust and resilient level of preparedness.

Proving Dispersants Work

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 1007-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Gugg ◽  
Charles B. Henry ◽  
Todd Bridgeman ◽  
Stephan P. Glenn ◽  
Gregory W. Buie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Droplet Formation ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Case Histories ◽  
Small Droplet ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Response Decision ◽  
Monitoring Protocols

ABSTRACT Growing acceptance of dispersants as a front line oil spill response tool is due in large part to the availability of reliable scientific effectiveness measurements. This paper examines the procedures known as Specialized Monitoring of Advanced Response Technologies (SMART) that determine if dispersant chemicals are having the desired effect of causing small droplet formation and dispersal in the water column. Response decision makers will benefit from the discussion of monitoring protocols, the visual and empirical indicators of dispersion, and the equipment used to derive this data. Proof of SMART feasibility and utility is provided in the form of case histories, data, and photographs from recent exercises and two actual dispersant response operations.

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.

Looking Backwards: How Do You Get Paid?1

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
Carolyn M. White
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Trust Fund ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Key Players ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Conflicting Interests ◽  
Cost Figure ◽  
Critical Interest ◽  
Responsible Party

ABSTRACT While a number of factors play a significant role in an oil spill response, of critical interest to every participant is money: how much and who pays! A responsible party clearly cares about the ultimate cost figure for a response; its insurer is very interested in that figure but may have quite a different view on its obligations. Contractors and subcontractors want to be paid fully and promptly, as do third parties who may suffer damages. The Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC), the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF or the Fund), and insurers become key players after the event in cost recovery and payment for damages. Despite these sometimes conflicting interests, every response participant can benefit from understanding the standards applied by payors. Based on the standards and procedures for making claims, the participant can create a system that helps in collecting costs or damages. This paper briefly describes the sources of funding, and the standards and process for submitting claims for response costs and damages related to spills in U.S. waters. It then offers suggestions and tools for documenting decisions and costs in a way that enhances the ability to get paid.

Shipping Oil Spill Environmental Damage Risk Assessment Methods: A Literature Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 599 ◽  
pp. 254-260
Author(s):  
Xu Bo Yu ◽  
Ming He Zhu ◽  
Cheng Fei Niu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation Model ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Damage Risk

As the certain basis of implementation of risk decision, risk assessment was used widely for reasonable allocation of scarce shipping oil spill response resources, but there is no a unified regulation for evaluation method. Three feasible methods of risk assessment, baseline assessment, detailed risk assessment, and combination of evaluation, are respectively introduced, including advantages and disadvantages. Then around the detailed risk assessment, present shipping oil spill environmental damage risk assessment study in China and abroad are then introduced in detail. Environmental damage assessment and oil spill risk assessment are introduced respectively including instantly popular appraisal methods, research hot spots and the most comprehensive evaluation model. Finally the possible direction of development of risk assessment is put forward in order to provide certain inspiration and references in developing domestic risk assessment.

NET ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT ANALYSIS FOR OIL SPILL RESPONSE

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 611-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenifer M. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Case History ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Bird Colony ◽  
Interacting Systems ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Aquaculture Facilities

ABSTRACT This paper discusses Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) from an ecological point of view, that is, the weighing of advantages and disadvantages of various spill responses with regard to flora and fauna and their habitats, compared with no response. Particular attention is paid to nearshore dispersant spraying and shore cleanup; and the scientific case history and experimental evidence that can be brought to bear on these responses is reviewed. For shoreline cleanup, consideration is given both to the shore itself and to potentially interacting systems that could be affected in various ways depending on the spill response (e.g., a bird colony or nearshore aquaculture facilities). For some scenarios, nearshore dispersant spraying can offer a net environmental benefit. For most cases of shore oiling, there is little ecological justification for any form of cleanup if only the shore itself is considered, but moderate cleanup carried out for the sake of interacting systems is acceptable. Aggressive cleanup often delays recovery.

CSIRO research and development activities to address environmental issues related to offshore oil and gas development

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Kenneth Lee ◽  
David Smith ◽  
Andrew Ross
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

In 2013, the Wealth from Oceans Flagship of the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) started a new research strategy in environmental sciences to support the future needs of the offshore oil and gas industry, regulatory agencies, and the oil spill response community. Using its world class laboratory facilities and research vessels, CSIRO intends to further apply its scientific expertise in the Australasian region towards the assessment and mitigation of environmental risks related to offshore oil and gas development and accidental oil spills. This paper provides an overview of ongoing and planned research activities by CSIRO in collaboration with academia, the private sector and other government agencies to ensure the protection and sustainability of Australia’s marine resources. The program includes the conduct of integrated environmental baseline studies, the development of improved protocols for environmental effects monitoring (EEM) of operational waste discharges (e.g., drilling muds/fluids and production waters), and the application of risk assessment protocols in support of ecosystem-based management. In support of oil spill response operations, the program will also develop remediation technologies and systems to detect and model the fate and transport of contaminant hydrocarbons in the marine environment. Project deliverables of this research, which integrate operational and scientific monitoring efforts with evaluation of oil spill response technologies, will result in new equipment and standard methods that will be used by the oil industry on a global scale to reduce the cost and time spent on monitoring programs while enhancing capability, response readiness and capacity.

Advantages and disadvantages of oil sorbents for oil spill response at low temperatures

2020 ◽  
pp. 55-60
Author(s):  
E.A. Mazlova ◽  
◽  
I.A. Meritsidi ◽  
Ya.Yu. Blinovskaya ◽  
K.K. Razmakhnin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Oil Sorbents ◽  
Oil Spill Response

scholarly journals Overview of surveillance tools in oil spill response – responders' view based on case studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Januszewska
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Response Elements ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Different Response

ABSTRACT With a growing market of new technologies in surveillance for oil spill response, it has become increasingly difficult for users to understand which surveillance tool is best suited for their requirements. Oil Spill Response Organisation's (OSROs) such as Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) require an easily-deployable, yet durable solution available to be utilised in a range of working conditions. The surveillance platform and type of sensor will be heavily influenced by the response scenario. This paper provides an overview of surveillance platforms such as the surveillance kite, UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and tethered balloon utilised by OSRL in different response scenarios on real incidents. The examples include offshore and shoreline incidents and exercises with offshore and shoreline response elements. In each of the examples the focus will be on the advantages and disadvantages of the surveillance tool chosen for the task, and lessons learned from each case/experience.

VESSEL DISPERSANT APPLICATION IN OIL SPILL RESPONSE: RESEARCH REVIEW

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 631-636
Author(s):  
Kenneth M. Motolenich-Salas ◽  
James R. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Research Review ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Application Systems ◽  
Major Vessel ◽  
Effective Option ◽  
Ready Availability ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Spray Control ◽  
Effective Use

ABSTRACT Dispersants are a proven oil spill response technique. Since effective use of dispersants is often limited to a few days following a spill, timely and effective dispersant application is a major requirement for dispersant use. Despite the advantages of aircraft over vessels in applying dispersant to large or remote spills, vessels do offer certain advantages over aircraft. These include wide and ready availability in port and marine terminal areas, lower cost, ease of deployment, high degree of spray control and accuracy. These advantages often result in vessel platforms being the preferred application method, especially for nearshore, smaller spills. Therefore, vessel-based systems should not be overlooked in contingency planning, as these systems can often be a viable and effective option for sustained dispersant application in certain oil spill situations. There are three major types of vessel dispersant application systems: (1) spray arm systems; (2) fire monitor systems, which are systems designed to spray water or fire-fighting foam; and (3) single nozzle neat dispersant application systems. The advantages and disadvantages of each system are reviewed and evaluated. Certain vessel characteristics beneficial for dispersant application also are discussed. To be most effective, vessels generally should (1) have sufficient dispersant payload or the ability to be re-supplied effectively, (2) be rapidly mobilized shortly after dispersant use approval, and (3) be located close enough to the spill scene to arrive within the required time when dispersant use is effective. Finally, the major vessel dispersant application operational guidelines are summarized.

Obama Beefs Up Oil Spill Response

2010 ◽  
pp. 10052710172048
Author(s):  
Jeff Johnson ◽  
Michael Torrice ◽  
Melody Voith
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spill Response
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