Involvement of Sea Professionals in Spill Response

When a spill occurs offshore, all efforts must be concentrated on recovering thepollutant before it reaches the coast and pollutes sites, to avoid tedious, costly and technically complex clean-up operations.
 
Response operations at sea are largely dependant on the sea and weather conditions. These conditions affect the evolution of liquid pollutants as they drift at sea: they spread, evaporate, disperse, take on water, emulsify, become increasingly viscous, fragment and disseminate with currents over increasingly large surface areas.
 
While high sea vessels specialised in spill response are efficient at responding to compact slicks offshore, they become unsuitable when the pollution fragments and moves closer to the coast (too high a draught). Local sea professionals and their vessels and gear can then be called upon to respond to the pollution before it reaches the coast.

Table of contents

PART 1: Guide for authorities in charge of managing sea professionals involved in spill response

 A  - Framework of the involvement of sea professionals
 
 B - Response preparedness
 
 C - Response
 
 D - Response closure
 
 E - Further information

PART 2: Practical datasheets for sea professionals involved in spill response

 - Alert
 - Surveying
 - Sampling
 - Protecting facilities
 - Protecting responders
 - Protecting vessels
 - Preparing unloading areas
 - Setting up containment means
 - Logistical support
 - Mechanical agitation
 - Implementing dispersion means
 - Static recovery
 - Dynamic recovery (single vessel)
 - Dynamic recovery (two vessels)
 - Manual recovery
 - Waste storage onboard
 - Bird rescue
 - Helping to recover HNS, packages and drums
 - Decontaminating vessels
 - Decontaminating personnel and equipment