A True Roadmap for Response Preparedness Capacity Building in Developing States

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 822-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith M. Donohue ◽  
Miguel Moyano ◽  
Dario Miranda-Rodríguez ◽  
Elliott Taylor ◽  
Ian Moscoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Simple Application ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Robust Response

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.

Guanabara Bay Oil Spill 2000, Brazil – Cetacean Response

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 1035-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kirwan John Short
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Guanabara Bay ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Response System ◽  
System A ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT On the 18th January 2000 a broken pipeline owned and operated by the oil company Petrobras spilt some 1300 tonne of bunker fuel into Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. The wildlife response was divided amongst 2 operational strategies and included – avian fauna and cetaceans. This paper deals with the cetacean response only. Cetaceans are generally not considered as an important feature of an oil spill response. Contingency planning for cetaceans in oil spills is now becoming an important element for preparedness for some countries. The cetacean response in Guanabara Bay specifically targeted a pod of about 70 members of the species Sotalia fluviatilis, a small dolphin that inhabits the bay. The response included the development of a plan that included a response system, a monitoring program and action plans. The response system detailed the mechanism for the plan to work and adopted the incident control management system. The monitoring program related to the study of any short term or long term deleterious effects resulting from the spill and consisted of basic spatial, temporal and behavioural studies. Action plans were developed specific to the character of Guanabara Bay and included the rescue and rehabilitation strategies necessary to respond to oil affected cetaceans. A training program was then developed and implemented to personnel who were to enact the cetacean response.

scholarly journals EVOLUTION OF REGIONAL RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS IN THE WIDER CARIBBEAN THROUGH RAC/REMPEITC-CARIBE: ENHANCING A LONG TERM CYCLE

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (1) ◽  
pp. 1117-1122
Author(s):  
Benjamin Couzigo ◽  
Brian Peter ◽  
Herbert Silonero
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Central America ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Contingency Planning ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Regional Centre ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Caribbean

ABSTRACT RAC/REMPEITC-Caribe is a United Nation'S Regional Activity Centre, established in 1994 by the International Maritime Organization and the United Nations Environment Program for the Caribbean Sea. The Centre exists to assists countries in the Wider Caribbean region and Latin America to prevent and respond to major oil pollution incidents. While developing a systematic approach to capacity building, resulting in comprehensive regional projects including the Caribbean Islands Regional OPRC Plan and the Central America CAOP Project (design to establish a Central America Regional OPRC Plan), the constant interaction of the Centre within the region with the various cultures of response preparedness, regularly raises the following questions:– How to improve a standard, constant, and effective system for capacity building in regards to contingency planning?– How to improve the co-operation between the regional partners?– How to define a better mechanism for funding? The analysis of the last ten years activities developed by the Centre shows the alternation of established priorities developed under the objectives of the strategic plan for enhancing regional response preparedness. Key components for the definition of a long term development cycle, required to build capacity, and enhance regional co-operation, are identified. The elements to stand out are:– the development of a constructive succession in the activities thematic;– a time frame of 5 years to complete a cycle for a regional centre with RAC/REMPEITC characteristics;– the key role of metrics to assess priorities for the cycle;– the need of a common overview of the process to facilitate co-operation / co-ordination;– the need of sustained commitment. The identification of those parameters allow a regional centre to clarify the status of national contingency planning for governments, establish the extent of training and exercises needed in the region and most importantly, facilitates the synchronization of resources and support between stakeholders.

Evaluation of Technical Assistance on Bank Supervision by Long-Term Experts in Asia

Policy Papers ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 09 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Financial Sector ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
External Financing ◽  
Bank Supervision

Technical Assistance Delivery by Long-Term Experts are an increasingly important vehicle for delivering TA in all financial sector areas. In recent years, the amount of MCM TA provided through LTEs has been about 28 staff years annually, or 36 percent of MCM’s total TA field delivery (including RTACs). This share has recently risen as a result of the steady increase in external financing and the cutback in MCM’s own resources for capacity building in the context of the recent downsizing. Indeed, the share of LTEs (who are mostly externally financed) in total planned MCM TA jumped to 41 percent in fiscal year 2009 (May-April). As these factors are expected to persist, the importance of LTEs as a means of delivering TA will likely increase further.

A PROGRAM APPROACH FOR SITE SAFETY AT OIL SPILLS1

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-104
Author(s):  
Frank L. Whipple ◽  
Stephan P. Glenn ◽  
Joseph J. Ocken ◽  
Gary L. Ott
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Health Program ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
Physical Hazards ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Specific Safety

ABSTRACT When OSHA developed the hazardous waste operations (Hazwoper) regulations (29 CFR 1910.120) members of the response community envisioned a separation of oil and “hazmat” response operations. Organizations that deal with oil spills have had difficulty applying Hazwoper regulations to oil spill operations. This hinders meaningful implementation of the standard for their personnel. We should approach oil spills with the same degree of caution that is applied to hazmat response. Training frequently does not address the safety of oil spill response operations. Site-specific safety and health plans often are neglected or omitted. Certain oils expose workers to carcinogens, as well as chronic and acute hazards. Significant physical hazards are most important. In responding to oil spills, the hazards must be addressed. It is the authors' contention that a need exists for safety programs at oil spill sites. Gone are the days of labor pool hires cleaning up spills in jeans and sneakers. The key to meaningful programs for oil spills requires application of controls focused on relevant safety risks rather than minimal chemical exposure hazards. Working with concerned reviewers from other agencies and organizations, we have developed a generic safety and health program for oil spill response. It is intended to serve as the basis for organizations to customize their own written safety and health program (required by OSHA). It also provides a separate generic site safety plan for emergency phase oil spill operations (checklist) and long term post-emergency phase operations.

FIRST EXPERIENCES WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY OIL SPILL MODEL

1983 ◽  
Vol 1983 (1) ◽  
pp. 301-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harilaos N. Psaraftis ◽  
J. D. Nyhart ◽  
David A. Betts
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Massachusetts Institute ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup

ABSTRACT A research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has completed the first phase of development of a computer-assisted model for analyzing complex decisions and policies regarding oil spill cleanup. The model is the product of an ongoing MIT Sea Grant project sponsored by a consortium of government and industry organizations. The model can be used, among other things, in “strategic” planning for the long-term oil spill response needs of a region, in assisting on-scene coordinators in responding to a specific spill (“tactical/operational” setting), in evaluating the environmental and economic damages of a spill versus the cost of cleanup, in simulation and training, and in the analysis of various policy and regulatory issues such as delays, use of dispersants, and liability and compensation. The model is described in detail, with a focus on its potential uses. Some illustrative applications in the New England region are presented and applications of the model for the solution of Petro-Canada's dispersant logistics problem are discussed briefly.

LONG TERM ICE EXPOSURE STUDIES FOR ENHANCING ARCTIC NEBA SCIENCE BASE

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 1128-1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Mesocosm Experiment ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Cod ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Science Base ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT #2017-097 The Arctic Oil Spill Response Technology - Joint Industry Programme has the goal to advance arctic oil spill response strategies and equipment as well as to increase understanding of potential impacts of oil on the Arctic marine environment. In 2013 a comprehensive review of investigations into environmental consequences of spilled oil and oil spill response technologies in the Arctic marine environment was performed by a multi-disciplinary team of experts. This review indicated that there is a significant science base for oil spill response decision-making in the Arctic already available and also listed recommendations for studies to enhance the science-base for Arctic Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA). To follow up on the reviews’ recommendations a unique long-term mesocosm experiment was executed to improve the scientific knowledge of the fate and biodegradation of oil and oil spill response residues in ice, as well as the environmental effects to ice associated ecology. Eight mesocosms were installed in the sea ice of the Van Mijenfjorden in Svea, Svalbard, Norway in February 2015 and remained in place until July 2015. The study was designed to monitor the long term fate, behaviour, persistence and biodegradation of the oil in ice together with the impact on the microbial communities, following different response scenarios. Additionally, under-ice phyto- and zooplankton communities were sampled and monitored for effects. The same exposures were replicated in the laboratory to measure the sensitivity and resilience of the polar cod. Over the five month period that the mesocosm experiment lasted, the following parameters were studied within the water column, through the ice layer and within the water-ice interface:Chemical composition of the oilBacterial populations and oil degrading microorganismsMicrobial activity and biodegradation activityZooplankton - survival, feeding and reproduction (under ice)Ice algae primary production Results from the studies and additional modelling activities have improved our understanding of what happens to oil once frozen into ice, how microbiology is reacting to oil in ice and what the exposure potential is of the ecology associated with the ice. This information enhances the NEBA science base and helps the response community in selecting a combination of response strategies that minimises the effects to people and the environment.

Rehabilitation of Oiled Wildlife: Why Do It?

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 (1) ◽  
pp. 573-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Jessup ◽  
Jonna A. K. Mazet
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Conservation Programs ◽  
Comprehensive Program ◽  
Environmental Disasters ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Wildlife Populations

ABSTRACT Although the public's interest in oil spills and similar environmental disasters often focus on the plight of injured animals, animal issues are only a very small part of an oil spill response. The dichotomy between the public's and the media's perception of what is important and what many wildlife biologists feel is important for long-term species conservation has led to conflicts and heated exchanges between proponents and opponents of oiled wildlife care. Additionally, some critics believe that there is a competition for funds between wildlife care and wildlife restoration, and that oiled wildlife care is offered up as a solution to pollution's damage to wildlife populations, or as an alternative to prevention. In California the collection, medical care, and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife is part of a comprehensive program for pollution response and provides data needed for planning, prevention and restoration. It is conducted for specific legal, social, political, and biological reasons. Under these circumstances, oiled wildlife care supports species conservation programs, as well as helping to document injury.

Changing Perspectives on Oil Toxicity Evaluation

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (1) ◽  
pp. 435-439
Author(s):  
Adam Moles
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Weathered Oil ◽  
Water Accommodated Fractions ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Oil Toxicity ◽  
Response Decisions ◽  
Fish Habitats

ABSTRACT Recent advances in oil toxicity research may well alter the way oil spill response decisions are made. Those responding to spills should be aware of the limitations surrounding the use of acute toxicity data to predict even short-term oil effects. Many animals previously classified as tolerant of short-term oil exposure, such as fish eggs and benthic organisms, are just as or much more sensitive than pelagic fishes to chronic exposures. Toxicity bioassays proved to be of limited value in predicting the long-term damage from the Exxon Valdez oil spill because such toxicity information only measured mortality to water-accommodated fractions of fresh oil over a 96-hour period. During the spill, many of the aquatic organisms were exposed to weathered oil resolubilized from nearshore sediments rather than to fresh oil in the water column. Oil allowed to sequester in the sediments of streams, mussel beds, and estuaries provided a persistent source of contamination in natal and nursery fish habitats over several years. Eggs, larvae, and juveniles that inhabit these habitats are especially sensitive to long-term exposure to sediment accommodated weathered oil. Spill response should be geared toward preventing oil from reaching streams, fine sediment beaches, and estuaries that serve as critical fish habitats rather than solely toward reducing initial mortalities.

scholarly journals A Decade of GoMRI Dispersant Science: Lessons Learned and Recommendations for the Future

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-111
Author(s):  
Antonietta Quigg ◽  
◽  
John Farrington ◽  
Sherryl Gilbert ◽  
Steven Murawski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Biological Organization ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Surface Dwelling ◽  
Exposure Levels ◽  
Dispersant Effectiveness

Dispersants are among a number of options available to oil spill responders. The goals of this technique are to remove oil from surface waters in order to reduce exposure of surface-dwelling organisms, to keep oil slicks from impacting sensitive shorelines, and to protect responders from volatile organic compounds. During the Deepwater Horizon response, unprecedented volumes of dispersants (Corexit 9500 and 9527) were both sprayed on surface slicks from airplanes and applied directly at the wellhead (~1,500 m water depth). A decade of research followed, leading to a deeper understanding of dispersant effectiveness, fate, and effects. These studies resulted in new knowledge regarding dispersant formulations, efficacy, and effects on organisms and processes at a broad range of exposure levels, and about potential environmental and human impacts. Future studies should focus on the application of high volumes of dispersants subsea and the long-term fate and effects of dispersants and dispersed oil. In considering effects, the research and applications of the knowledge gained should go beyond concerns for acute toxicity and consider sublethal impacts at all levels of biological organization. Contingency planning for the use of dispersants during oil spill response should consider more deeply the temporal duration, effectiveness (especially of subsurface applications), spatial reach, and volume applied.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document