Tag: oil spill response

 The U.S. Coast Guard's National Pollution Funds Center (NPFC) has responsibility for disbursements from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (Fund).The Fund enables the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to respond to oil spills. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) authorizes the Fund to pay for certain damage claims and oil removal costs. The federal government may subsequently seek reimbursement of these costs from responsible parties.Damage claimsGAO found that for fiscal years 2011 through 2013, internal controls were designed and implemented to reasonably assure that damage claim expenses were appropriately disbursed from the Fund.Oil removalGAO identified several internal control deficiencies, which demonstrated that NPFC was unable to reasonably assure that oil removal disbursements were appropriately disbursed from the Fund. GAO's statistical tests of oil removal disbursements less than or equal to $500,000 identified design and implementation control deficiencies involving invoices that lacked required certifications, high visibility spills that were not identified, and missing supporting documentation for some costs. Also, GAO identified other issues, including that NPFC lacked policies and procedures for tracking and reconciling cash advances to EPA.NPFC has established a system of internal controls for the designation and billing, as appropriate, of responsible parties. For ...

 A two-day bilateral exercise between the Congo and Gabon to test the lines of communication in case of a trans-boundary oil spill incident is concluding in Pointe-Noire, the Congo and Libreville, Gabon (14-15 September). The exercise, which was conducted in real-time with a prearranged script, simulated an oil spill incident impacting the Gabonese and Congolese coastlines. The objective was to identify gaps in oil spill contingency plans in both countries and help improve communication procedures between the two countries in the case of a real trans-boundary oil spill incident. The exercise also sought to encourage the sharing of technical information to better coordinate the response as well as to initiate discussions on topics such as mutual aid and allocation of resources. This exercise was organised within the framework of the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF Project​), a partnership between IMO and IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues. The event gathered delegates from different ministries and agencies as well as representatives from the Oil & Gas industry. The Department of Environmental Affairs of Gabon and the Ministry of Transport, Aviation and Shipping of the Congo hosted the exercise simultaneously.Source and ...

 Two members ​of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement's (BSEE) Oil Spill Preparedness Division ​recently ​traveled to communities along the Arctic to verify and inspect oil spill response equipment staged to support ongoing oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea.Along with several members ​of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, the team traveled to Wainwright and Prudhoe Bay, to verify equipment preparedness and inspect required items in Shell’s approved Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Regional Exploration Program Oil Spill Response Plans.The equipment is owned and/or operated by Alaska Clean Seas, and Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation Arctic Response Services, two of Shell’s oil spill removal organizations listed in the company’s plans. The joint inspection team verified that the equipment was available and maintained as detailed in the plans, following inspections of specified equipment, maintenance records, and equipment operability.The inspections are a continuation of BSEE’s commitment and comprehensive effort to ensure safe and environmentally responsible offshore oil and gas development in the Arctic. As federal regulators, BSEE enforces operator compliance with regulations regarding oil spill response equipment preparedness and conducts inspections and exercises, to validate the tactics, logistics, resource availability, and personnel proficiency identified and relied upon in the approved oil spill response plan ...

 The Unified Command responding to the sunken vessel Pacific Venture in Sitka reported that Global Diving & Salvage has been retained to perform a controlled removal of oil product and hazardous waste from the vessel.   The motor vessel Seamount has been hired to serve as a dive platform for the product recovery effort.  Additional support has come from Sitka Tribe of Alaska and Silver Bay Seafoods. The U.S. Coast Guard and SEAPRO are actively monitoring the oil boom surrounding the vessel.  No reports of injuries or oiled fish or wildlife have been received.   Additional containment boom has been prepositioned at Indian River as a precautionary measure. “Work will continue in the area through the weekend, and mariners are reminded to observe any issued Notice to Mariners,” said Chief Warrant Officer Mike Wortman, Federal On Scene Coordinator Representative.  “Any vessels passing by the scene in the eastern channel of Sitka Sound are reminded to go slow and minimize their wake.”Source: USCG NewsIn the onset, I was forthright with you propecia before and after has changed my subsistence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible to sit.

 The Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC) added a new oil spill vessel to their Vancouver fleet. The boat, named after former employee George Penman, was christened at a private ceremony in Coal Harbour.The $4.5 million G.M. Penman is a 65-foot Ocean Class Oil Spill Response Vessel (OSRV) built by Rozema Boat Works in Washington State. It is only the fifth vessel of its kind in the world with sister vessels operating in Santa Barbara servicing the offshore production platforms off the California coast.The 65-foot OSRVs are smaller, faster and more cost effective than older unsheltered water vessels. The G.M. Penman provides WCMRC with improved open water rapid response and night time operations capacity.The G.M. Penman has a top speed of 26 knots when travelling to an incident. Once on-scene, the boom arms can be deployed within minutes. Two onboard Lamor skimming brushes have a combined skimming capacity of 32.8 tonnes per hour.With overnight accommodation space for five crew members and a FLIR (forward-looking infrared) camera, the G.M. Penman is the first vessel in WCMRC’s fleet that can operate continuously for multiple days in open water before requiring resupplies.The G.M. Penman joins WCMRC’s fleet of 32 spill response vessels, including ...

 The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) recently completed a three-month renovation of its test tank at Ohmsett, the bureau’s oil spill response research test facility located in Leonardo, New Jersey. Ohmsett technicians performed maintenance work on the 2.6 million gallon outdoor concrete tank that included sandblasting, painting and other repair and replacement work.Every five years, the 667-foot long tank is drained so the interior can be inspected and identified repairs completed. When inspections and repairs are completed, the tank is then refilled with salt water and filtered for two weeks to restore water clarity.The first test for the refilled tank will be a Wave Energy test scheduled for September 14. The Wave Energy Test is a performance test of marine renewable energy systems (wave energy conversion devices). To meet the need for the testing of safe and renewable offshore energy technology, Ohmsett's mission has expanded to offer a research and testing venue for wave energy conversion devices.BSEE is the principal federal agency funding offshore oil spill response research, and Ohmsett is a key part of the bureau’s Oil Spill Response Research Program. Many of today’s commercially available oil spill cleanup products have been tested at Ohmsett and a ...

  U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) crews are continuing to monitor oil recovery operations in the water near the International-Matex Tank Terminal (IMTT) Bayonne, New Jersey. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector New York received notification at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday from IMTT crewmembers of an oil spill as a result of an allision between a tug and a fuel terminal pier. The Coast Guard immediately launched members from the Sector New York Pollution Response Team to investigate. A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, also responded. At this time, it is estimated that less than 1,000 gallons of oil entered the water and contracted crews are in the process of recovering the product. Coast Guard pollution responders and IMTT crewmembers launched more than 2,500 feet of containment boom and secured the source of the oil. Coast Guard, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation crews continue to patrol by vehicle, watercraft and aircraft to ensure no oil has made it out of the containment boom area. No wildlife has been affected as a result of the oil at this time. Coast Guard crews will continue to monitor the oil spill and assist ...

(Image Credit: Source: http://www.alassia.gr/) Canada has concluded an independent review of the environmental response operation to the fuel spill in English Bay in April, and 25 recommendations have been made to improve future response efforts. On Wednesday April 8, 2015 the sailing vessel Hali observed a sheen of oil in English Bay and reported it to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). The CCG managed the response and clean-up operation with support from key partners, including Western Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC), other federal departments, other levels of government and non-governmental organizations. Although the Captain and representatives for the M/V Marathassa initially denied responsibility, it was subsequently determined in the early morning of April 9, 2015 that the M/V Marathassa had discharged an unknown quantity of intermediate fuel oil (suspected to be IFO 380) into English Bay on April 8. This was an operational discharge of persistent fuel oil with very high consequences. Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) is a large, multi-user commercial gateway with on average 20large deep-sea vessels at anchorage or terminals at any given time, representing an important economic hub for Vancouver and Western Canada. As such, it is essential that oil spills are prevented and/or cleaned up quickly and ...

  Ratifying the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution will allow Fiji to be fully compensated for pollution damage caused by oil spills from fuel carried in ships' bunkers, The Fiji Times ONLINE reports. These were the comments of Ministry of Transport deputy secretary Lui Naisara as he presented his submission on the convention to the Standing Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs. Currently, Fiji's non-party status to the convention means the country and people affected by pollution damage from ships' bunkers spills cannot claim compensation. "Fiji will only be able to fully utilise the compensation for pollution damage framework under the IMO Bunker Convention, 2001, once it becomes a party to the convention," Mr Naisara said. He explained the convention applied to damage caused by oil spills from bunker ships including any damage to the territorial seas and exclusive economic zones of State Parties. Source: The Fiji Times ONLINEIn the start, I was frank with you propecia before and after has changed my subsistence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is fabulous to sit.

  The federal government plans to set up a new office in downtown Vancouver to better respond to oil spill risks in the harbour, The Vancouver Sun reports. Office space for a new environmental response office will be set up in the HMCS Discovery at Coal Harbour, headquarters for the Canadian Coast Guard inshore rescue boat station. A pollution response vessel will be docked at HMCS Discovery to respond to reports of pollution. Additional measures include increasing the number of naval reservists at HMCS Discovery to support the inshore rescue boat operation, increasing the number of personnel who can be trained for search and rescue and adding another inflatable boat to the three already in operation. Source: The Vancouver SunIn the outbreak, I was outspoken with you propecia before and after has changed my being. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is improbable to sit.