Approaches to joining up at sea and on-shore response operations in India
ITOPF and Oil Spill Response Ltd co-hosted a seminar on global good practices and the current state of oil spill preparedness in India last month.
OSRL and ITOPF are keen to follow up on some of the key themes that emerged during the seminar.
The themes to be continued into a seminar series for 2014 included:
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linking to the ICG-led review of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) to include:
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mapping the oil spill risk for Indian coastal waters from shipping and O&G sources to under-pin the NOSDCP;
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taking the principles in the Policy & Guidelines for use of Oil Spill Dispersants in Indian waters such as Net Environmental Benefit and ensuring that these principles are reflected in the NOSDCP and O&G facility contingency plans;
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the potential added value of a “pool of experts” which the ICG as India’s designated authority could call upon in the event of a significant spill.
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developing the concept paper on an OSRO for India based around Industry-Government collaboration;
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approaches to joining up “at sea” and “on-shore” response operations in India with active participation of the coastal Pollution Control Boards (PCBs)
Hence this initial strategic seminar has brought together government, O&G industry and shipowners to provide a shared understanding of the current situation and to identify areas jointly where global good practice may offer opportunities for future collaboration and development for oil spill preparedness and response in India.
While this is in the early stages of planning, there is a suggestion to hold a follow up session with a focus around two topics: the ICG review of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan; and options for Industry-Government collaboration on an OSRO for India. Provisional dates are around Wednesday 19th or Thursday 20th March 2014 in Mumbai.
Source & Image Credit: ITOPF
