Tag: pollution prevention

Despite a dramatic rise in worldwide oil tanker traffic since the 1980s, the number of oils spills has dropped significantly, finds a new study released by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. The study, Energy Transportation and Tanker Safety in Canada, spotlights oil tanker traffic worldwide and in Canadian waters. "A dramatic increase in the amount of oil shipped by sea has coincided with a dramatic drop in the amount of spilt oil, which is great news for marine wildlife and ecosystems," said Kenneth Green, senior director of the Fraser Institute's Centre for Natural Resources. Internationally, between 1985 and 2010, aquatic transport of oil nearly doubled, while the number of oil spills (in excess of 700 tonnes) declined sharply. Moreover, of all the seaborne oil spilled (by volume) worldwide over the past four decades, 56 per cent was spilled in the 1970s while only 3.7 per cent was spilled between 2000 and 2009. In Canadian waters, the number of major tanker oil spills per decade dropped from 18 in the 1980s, to six in the 1990s, to zero between 2000 and 2004. And yet, some activists and politicians want to restrict and/or ban tanker traffic in ...

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.

On 13 November, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO), as represented by Ms Florika Fink-Hooijer, agreed to further enhance cooperation with EMSA on marine pollution preparedness, monitoring and response. The new working arrangement updates an existing agreement, held since 2004. It reflects recent changes such as the reorganisation of the European Commission, including the establishment of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), and the development at EMSA of new EU pollution monitoring tools, such as the European Satellite Oil Spill Monitoring Service, CleanSeaNet Source: EMSA  In the origin, 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.

In close cooperation with the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) and the Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (Cedre), EMSA created the MAR-ICE Network in 2008. The idea behind the Network is to provide information and expert advice on chemicals involved in maritime emergencies. The service is available to national administrations 24/7 via a dedicated contact point. MAR-ICE offers remote product and incident-specific informationand advice within 1 hour of the request and more detailedinformation shortly thereafter. Information provided within 1 hour- Safety data sheets- Marine chemical information sheets (MAR-CIS data sheets)- Relevant data from international codes & regulations Information provided shortly thereafter on a case-by-case basis- Additional information on product properties from a knowlegeable chemical company (if necessary) For cargoes spilled at sea- 2D or 3D drift and weathering models, indicating areas potentially impacted by the pollution- Estimation of the mass balance of the chemical spilled according to time elapsed For containers- Assessment of the behaviour of a container lost at sea- Advice on methods to locate and recover the containers For cargoes on board disabled vessels- Risk assessment for responders and the environment- Advice on response methods and options. Learn more information by reading EMSA_MAR-ICE 2015.pdf Source: EMSA    In ...

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently released a revised environmental analysis of oil and gas activity in the Arctic Ocean. BOEM’s latest analysis leaves no doubt that development and production of the Chukchi Sea oil and gas leases could be devastating to the Arctic marine ecosystem. Perhaps most troubling, a statistical analysis used by BOEM indicates that there is a 75% chance of one or more large spills over the lifetime of Chukchi Sea development and production. BOEM admits that a very large oil spill could result in the death of large numbers of polar bears, bowhead whales, seals, and marine and coastal birds. This environmental analysis and opportunity to comment has been a long time in the making. Almost seven years ago, in February of 2008, the federal government auctioned oil and gas leases in the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast of Alaska. The auction was known as Lease Sale 193, and it purported to give successful lessees—including Shell—the conditional right to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean. But there was a major problem. In 2010, a federal court found that the environmental analysis underpinning Lease Sale 193 was unlawful; the court required the government ...

Responding to adoption by the International Maritime Organisation of the long-awaited Polar Code, aimed at regulating shipping in Polar Regions, a coalition of environmental groups criticized the measures for not going far enough to adequately protect the fragile Arctic and Antarctic environments. While the new code is a positive step forward- for the first time there will be mandatory rules for management of shipping in Arctic and Antarctic polar waters – it is insufficient to properly protect Polar environments from the increased levels of shipping activity that are anticipated as sea ice recedes in the face of global warming. In Arctic waters, the Polar Code fails to address the need to phase out the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO); an HFO spill has been identified as the highest risk posed by shipping. HFO was previously already banned in Antarctica for this reason. The Code will contain regulations requiring that ship operators limit entry into ice according to the ability of their ship to resist ice pressure, but major concerns remain due to the fact that non-ice strengthened ships will still be allowed to operate in ice covered waters. Of further concern is the impact of shipping on wildlife. While ...

U.S. Coast Guard personnel, in conjunction with state and federal partners, are scheduled to conduct an emergency preparedness and pollution response exercise for a simulated oil spill in the Old Port of Tampa Nov. 4 - Nov. 6, 2014. The full-scale exercise will be based around a simulated worst-case oil release scenario in the Old Port of Tampa, and is designed to evaluate the capabilities and effectiveness of a full-scale government led multi-agency response. The exercise will evaluate the ability of response organizations to form a Unified Command, and provide a coordinated response and initial assessment of the impacts from a simulated sizable oil spill. As part of the exercise, the Coast Guard along with other federal, state and local industry partners will conduct a pollution response drill involving the use of equipment near Picnic Island on Nov 4. This drill provides the opportunity to deploy and recover response equipment designed to protect environmentally sensitive areas. Following the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, the federal government developed a National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program to provide a mechanism for compliance with oil spill response exercise requirements. "Coordinating efforts with our federal, state, local and industry partners is essential to the ...

Marine and coastal environment specialist, BMT Oceanica (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association’s (APPEA) “Understanding the Risks of Unplanned Discharges” study. BMT Oceanica will be working with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to deliver this key project which will update current knowledge on the potential environmental impacts of unplanned releases of hydrocarbons and other chemicals into the marine environment.  Phase one of the project is already underway and includes an international scientific review and the development of vulnerability assessment model that will help APPEA members enhance environmental and oil spill response plans.  This will be achieved by aligning risk assessment to the vulnerability of key environmental receptors. This work complements BMT Oceanica’s other current energy consultancy engagements with major operators in Western Australia. Mark Bailey, Co-Managing Director of BMT Oceanica says that “This  project provides further validation of the value and expertise being provided to the Australian oil and gas industry by BMT Oceanica and CSIRO, we are grateful for this challenge and look forward to adding value for APPEA and its members.”   Dr. Kenneth Lee, Director of CSIRO's Oceans ...

EMSA issued the latest "Inventory of national policies regarding the use of oil spill dispersants in the EU". EMSA is tasked by Regulation (EC) No 2038/2006 to "draw up on a regular basis a list of the private and state pollution response mechanisms and response capabilities in the various regions of the European Union". In order to fulfil this task of providing accurate and up to date information in the EU and EFTA coastal Member States with regard to dispersants, EMSA contacts the respective Member States and prepares specific inventories such as the Inventory of national policies regarding the use of oil spill dispersants in the EU Member States. This inventory contains information for each Member State regarding: the national rules and regulations for usage of oil spill dispersants as an at-sea oil spill response method the testing and approval procedures for dispersants the equipment and stockpiles for dispersant application, including geographic information system (GIS) based maps.   Once oil has been spilled at sea, the primary goal of any response action is to mitigate the socio-economic and environmental impact by removing the spilled oil from the water surface as quickly as possible. The purpose of oil spill dispersants is to transfer the oil from the sea surface - in the form of very small droplets and ...

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 established rigorous regulatory and liability controls to protect and clean up the marine environment from oil spills, including extensive provision to prevent the circumstances under which oil spills occur. OPA 9O increased federal authority to respond to oil spills and compensate for damage when spills occur in the United States. OPA 90 also requires owners and operators of evidence sufficient financial responsibility to cover potential liabilities under OPA 90. The US Pollution Risks publication by the UK P&I Club compiles summaries of all the Federal and state requirements on liability, COFR requirements and vessel contingency plan requirements. Legal Briefings provide an overview of certain laws and regulations. While every effort has been made to ensure their accuracy, it is only a guide and not a substitute for formal legal advice. This summary document was compiled by the UK Club's environmental team ledby Dr. Chao Wu and is one of a continuing series of publications which shares the legal expertise within the Club with its Members.  You can read more by clicking below In the outbreak, I was frank with you propecia before and after has changed my existence. It has become much more fun, and ...