The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has published a circular to regulate marine oil spill cleanup and recovery efforts. Specifically, a preliminary investigation on the level of pollution will have to be made within the first 10 days after the report of an oil spill. The circular will apply from March 12.
If the investigation concludes that the level of oil in the water is higher than national standards, a more detailed assessment on environmental damage will have to be completed 20 days after the initial results, local media reported.
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Moreover, individuals and organisations must address the oil spill if the area of the pollution is 25% more than the overall area under assessment.
In other cases, analysis of the seawater environment must be performed once a week, as well as reviews of the development of environmental pollution every 15 days. If the results are higher than the allowed ones, the responsible will need to establish a recovery plan.
The recovery operation will be supervised by authorised agencies. Namely, supervision will give emphasis on the recovery of the marine ecosystem and marine creature in the polluted areas.
Finally, according to statistics, about 200 million tonnes of oil are transported every year through the sea in Vietnam, while around 10 oil spills are being recorded per year.
