Tag: oil spill preparedness

  Scientists have now found a potential new role for Soybean Lecithin:  dispersing crude oil spills. Their study, which could lead to a less toxic way to clean up these environmental messes, appears in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. Ram B. Gupta and colleagues explain that applying chemical dispersants is one of the most effective ways to help get rid of oil spills quickly. The dispersants work by breaking down oil into small droplets that bacteria can then degrade. But some dispersants can be harmful to cleanup crews and aquatic life. So Gupta's team turned to a natural, more benign surfactant—an agent that hastens the absorption of liquids by forcing them to form small droplets—to see if it could do the same job without the negative health effects. The researchers separated crude soy lecithin, a very effective surfactant used in foods, into its lipid components. Then, they tested how well these lipids could break down oil in water in the lab. They found the compounds worked as well as or slightly better than two commercial dispersants. The toxicity of oil spill dispersants to marine organisms has necessitated the search for alternative dispersant formulations that are environmentally benign. Soybean lecithin, a well-known ...

  A new robot will be introduced at the Port of Gothenburg. Its task will be to deploy booms in the event of an oil spill. This new technology will result in more rapid and safer oil spill clearance at the Port of Gothenburg. The Port of Gothenburg is the site of the largest energy port in Scandinavia. Crude oil is brought in and refined into petrol, diesel, asphalt and other products. Despite very strict safety stipulations, an accident could occur resulting in an oil spill. "What is most important is that the oil is contained as quickly as possible to allow clearance to begin," said Dan-Erik Andersson, Head of Operations at the Energy Port in Gothenburg. For this purpose, the Port of Gothenburg has invested SEK 3.5 million in an automatic GPS-controlled boom. In the event of a spill, a member of staff at the Energy Port office presses a button on the wall. This activates a torpedo-like unmanned craft that travels around the dock towing a 400-metre-long boom. The automatic boom is made of plastic and is half a metre below water and 20 cm above water. "The robot tows the boom from one pier to another. It ...

  To test and demonstrate Singapore's readiness to tackle oil and chemical spills, a multi-agency joint oil spill exercise was conducted. Code-named JOSE 2015, the exercise was organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on the last day of the International Chemical and Oil Pollution Conference and Exhibition 2015 (ICOPCE), held in conjunction with the 10th Singapore Maritime Week (SMW). JOSE 2015 comprised a tabletop management exercise at MPA's Port Operations Control Centre Vista and a full scale oil and chemical spill response equipment deployment. Over 180 personnel from various agencies participated in the table top exercise and seaward exercise, located along Sudong Holding Anchorage, 4.5 km south of Jurong Island. The exercise scenario involved a simulated collision between a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) and a chemical tanker. The VLCC suffered damages to two cargo tanks and some 5,000 tonnes of oil was spilled. Due to the impact of the collision, the chemical tanker sustained damage to the cargo tank cover on deck. The exercise included responses to combat oil and chemical pollution from both the vessels and tested multi-agency responsiveness and co-operation. The spill response teams deployed equipment such as oil containment booms, harbour busters ...

  The U.S. Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology will host a spill preparedness conference May 20 - 21 at the Jackson Federal Building in Seattle. The two-day seminar is an opportunity to discuss the latest in spill-recovery theory and technology. The sessions focus on topics including remote oil sensing technology, sinking oils, software tools and best practices. "In the response business, there is no room for complacency,” said Capt. Robert Pearce, chief of response, Coast Guard 13th District. “Knowing about the latest game-changing technology is important. Opportunities are everywhere. We need to continue to identify them." The marine environment that dominates the Pacific Northwest is essential to the high quality of our lives. The balance between private and public interests in the waterways is constantly being tested and debated, because a potential for an oil spill always exists. To stay current with groundbreaking ideas in oil spill recovery and preparedness, state and federal agencies and industry are constantly looking for advancements in the field. This conference is intended to provide a forum for collaboration and innovation. Topics and expert speakers include: Subsurface Oil Detection and Mapping on Shoreline, Shallow Water and Inland Spills; Dr. Ed Owens, Principal/Coastal Consultants Ltd. ...

  The Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU), in conjunction with the Canadian Maritime & Supply Chain Coalition (CMSCC), representing the majority of Seafarers & Maritime Logistics Unions across Canada, is calling on the Government of Canada to reverse the Maritime provisions outlined in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). They are calling on the Canadian Government to strengthen Canada’s Cabotage laws in order prevent another environmental catastrophe like Vancouver's oil spill this week. Within CETA’s Maritime provisions, exploited and overworked foreign crew, unfamiliar with Canada’s fragile ecosystem, would be allowed to operate between two Canadian Ports, trade previously reserved for Canadian flagged and crewed vessels. This week’s spill was from the vessel MARATHASSA, a bulk carrier sailing under the Cyprus flag with foreign crew manning the vessel. Precisely the kind of vessel CETA would allow into trade in Canada permanently. “The SIU of Canada is outraged that the Conservative Government is risking the St. Lawrence River’s and Great Lakes’ fragile ecosystem in the name of trade,” said James Given, President, Seafarers’ International Union of Canada and Chair of the CMSCC. “The SIU has long advocated that it would only take one accident to cause irreversible damage to the ...

Stril Barents, a state of the art supply and standby vessel is ready to start operations at the Goliat field in the Barents Sea. The vessel commissioned by Eni Norge will strengthen oil spill and search and rescue contingency operations at the field location.  Goliat will enter into production this summer as the first oil field to come on stream in the Barents Sea. Eni Norge and Norwegian authorities have stipulated strict oil spill contingency requirements for Goliat.   Double functionStril Barents is designed and built to operate both as a supply and stand-by vessel at the Goliat location. Under normal circumstances the vessel will operate mainly as a supply vessel. It will also be able to replace Goliat's current standby vessel, Esvagt Aurora, and will provide the first response both in case of emergency life-saving intervention and oil spill situations. This double function makes the vessel unique on the Norwegian shelf. Tailored to Arctic operations The vessel is specially adapted to the challenges presented by harsh Arctic weather conditions. It is equipped with heating cables to prevent icing, and most of its auxiliary equipment, including the lifeboats and life rafts, is built into the vessel in order to protect it ...

The Gibraltar Port Authority has announced the publication of its revised Oil Spill Contingency Plan. It follows an in depth review, conducted in consultation with all interested stakeholders and specialists in this field. The plan, tailored specifically to the Port and BGTW, forms part of the Gibraltar Government’s wider national contingency planning, and is a vital tool in effective oil spill response coordination. The Minister with responsibility for the Port, the Hon Paul Balban explained that ‘the revised plan complements the GPA’s wider capabilities in ensuring that our environmental credentials remain second to none.’ Source: Gibraltar Port AuthorityIn the beginning, I was outspoken with you propecia before and after has changed my existence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible to sit.

ITOPF participated in the EMSA HNS workshop, held last month at EMSA headquarters in Lisbon and chaired by Berndt Bluhm, Head of Unit, Pollution Response at EMSA. A total of 28 delegates from EU Member States were present as well as nine representatives from industry (BASF, DOW Chemicals, CEDRE, CEFIC, Braemar Howells, ISU (International Salvage Union) and ITOPF). The workshop aimed to highlight the key challenges for HNS response from the point of view of the national government agencies, the chemical and salvage industries and R&D institutions. The workshop was also an opportunity for the various delegations to exchange information on recent developments in the field of HNS incident response in their respective countries, as well as progress with on-going projects, such as ARCOPOL, BE AWARE and MAR-ICE Network. The workshop also sought to familiarise the participants with the information services in place, such as MAR-ICE, and to understand their value and limitations. The workshop centred around a table top exercise with two realistic scenarios run in parallel (one container ship and one bulk carrier) which enabled Member States to evaluate how prepared they are for a significant HNS spill and to take their findings back to their respective government ...