Danish Maritime Authority tested its emergency management by taking part in the emergency exercise KRISØV 2015 at sea on November 11, 2015.
Every second year, a major national emergency exercise is held. The purpose of the exercise is to strengthen the authorities’ emergency management preparedness. KRISØV 2015 was held in cooperation between the National Police and the Danish Emergency Management Agency.
The Danish Maritime Authority played a central role in last week’s emergency exercise, KRISØV 2015, where it was simulated that the Russian nuclear-powered vessel SEVMORPUT collided with the cargo vessel TORM ISLAND east of Grenaa, and subsequently SEVMORPUT ran aground on Hjelm Banke.
“Such an exercise gives the Danish Maritime Authority a chance of testing its ability to handle specific operational challenges posed by serious situations. And we get a chance of testing our ability to cooperate and communicate internally and externally”, says Director-General of the Danish Maritime Authority Andreas Nordseth.
Business in the Danish Maritime Authority’s emergency team
The emergency team of the Danish Maritime Authority was established shortly after the grounding of SEVMORPUT. The task of the emergency team was to coordinate the activities and take the necessary decisions in a comprehensive emergency situation where ordinary routines and resources in the department do not suffice.
During the exercise, the Danish Maritime Authority launched a number of operational measures. An area to be avoided was, for example, established around the nuclear-powered vessel, and navigational warnings were being transmitted on an ongoing basis. The inspection vessel POUL LØWENØRN departed from Grenaa (virtually) in order to assist with the recovery of containers that had fallen overboard from SEVMORPUT.
The employees of the Danish Maritime Authority around the country were also advised about the conditions and about how they should act as the situation developed.
Journalists from Ritzau and DR as well as the simulated media centre Ajour24 constantly rang the communication personnel with many questions about the circumstances after the collision. And the level of activity was high on the fictitious social medium Yammer.
Emergency team activities to be evaluated
The exercise will be evaluated in the near future. It was planned that KRISØV 2015 should last for two days, but the exercise was called off after the first day. The National Police decided to cancel the emergency exercise due to the Swedish government’s decision to introduce temporary border control.
“Though the exercise became shorter than planned, there are many lessons to be learned from the one day that the emergency exercise lasted”, stresses Andreas Nordseth.
Source & Image Credit : Danish Maritime Authority
