Tag: pollution prevention

The way oil is transported through Washington continues to change, and so do the risks for oil spills. More vessels are transporting oil through state waters, increasing the risk of a catastrophic oil spill. The Washington Department of Ecology has hired Det Norske Veritas (USA) Inc. to develop a vessel traffic evaluation and safety risk assessment for potential oil spills on the Columbia River.

BIMCO and the International Spill Control Organisation, ISCO, began work last week in London on developing a standard contract for the hire of spill response services and equipment.

The Standard P&I Club informs that the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Marine Services Directorate has announced it will use drones to monitor marine pollution in the Bosporus in efforts to improve surveillance and fine enforcement.

The Coast Guard, a co-chair of the Alaska Regional Response Team (ARRT), in coordination with four other signatory agencies announced the new policy for the Dispersant Use Plan For Alaska, in Anchorage.

A symposium marking the 20 year anniversary of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) is being held in Tokyo, Japan (28-29 January).

A recent report, prepared by Proactima, includes an overview of measures which are specifically designed to prevent oil pollution in the Arctic from offshore petroleum activities

ITOPF 's Senior Technical Adviser, Kelly Reynolds, presented earlier this year at INTERSPILL conference a white paper examining post- spill environmental studies.

 Two annual marine pollution response joint exercises, this year code-named Oilex 2015 and the Maritime Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Exercise 2015, were held simultaneously on October 16 at Junk Bay to test local responses in the event of pollution caused by oil spillage and HNS in Hong Kong waters.During the exercises, response groups contained and cleaned up a mock spill situation that would have posed threats to the local environment and facilities. In the scenario used, a tanker collided with a container vessel. The tanker was found to be leaking fuel oil and later anchored in Junk Bay, while five containers loaded with ammonium nitrate fell from the container vessel into the sea, subsequently drifting into Junk Bay, and leaked ammonium nitrate.In the wake of the simulated oil spill, oil combat teams used floating barrier booms to encircle the tanker while salvage teams transferred the fuel oil and stopped up the leakage.Barrier booms were also set up near the tanker to prevent the spill from drifting. The exercise also demonstrated the spraying of oil dispersant from pollution control vessels and a Government Flying Service (GFS) helicopter onto the sea, as well as the use of oil skimmers and other ...

 The Polar Code is expected to take effect on 1 January 2017 via amendments to the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) and MARPOL (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Conventions. The Polar Code also includes recommendations and guidelines relating to the mandatory portions of the Code. Hannah Charles, Senior Claims Executive, UK P&I Club, comments on the impending Polar Code and the pollution prevention measures being adopted:“The IMO has now adopted the long awaited Polar Code. This code is a reflection of the shipping industry recognising the sensitivity of Arctic ecosystems.  The code acknowledges the need for a higher degree of care when navigating polar waters, given the increased trade throughout these regions. “The impact that the Polar Code will have on operators trading in the region remains to be seen. The Code brings with it numerous requirements for all ships trading in the Polar Regions and therefore a great deal of investment will need to be made by operators.“The Polar Code is mandatory and comprises of detailed requirements relating to safety, design and construction, operations, training, and the prevention of environmental pollution for all ships operating in Polar Waters.“It is without doubt that these requirements are necessary, especially given that ...

  AML Ship Management GMBH, a German company, was sentenced in federal court to pay a total of $800,000 in fines and community service payments for violating the Clean Water Act and the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships by intentionally discharging 4,500 gallons of oily bilge water into the ocean off the coast of Alaska and then presenting false records to the U.S. Coast Guard. AML was also ordered to implement a comprehensive Environmental Compliance Plan and was placed on probation for three years.  During the term of probation, AML will be subject to a heightened level of scrutiny, including warrantless searches of its vessels and places of business based upon a reasonable suspicion that it is violating the law.  Of the total payment, AML will pay $675,000 in criminal fines and $125,000 in community restitution.   The community restitution payment will go to the Alaska SeaLife Center to be used for projects and research that have a nexus to the Clean Water Act oil pollution crime committed. Chief Engineer Nicolas Sassin was sentenced in Oregon to serve five months of home confinement followed by five years of probation for his role in these offenses.  The Court in Oregon found ...