earth-rite tanker mounted static earth verification...

Paper proposal: measures that can be taken to prevent static electricity from being an ignition source during the recovery and removal of potentially combustible materials.

Following spills and loss of containment incidents where potentially combustible chemicals or combustible waste needs to be recovered, transported and deposited, or there is a requirement to clean out tanks and other storage structures prior to inspection, very often vacuum tankers and portable pumps will be utilised to move the material.

The movement of the material, which can either be in liquid, solid or waste/sludge forms, can result in the generation of electrostatic charges on the transfer system. Typically the transfer system is made up of pieces of equipment that are in contact with, or close proximity to, the material being recovered and deposited at locations such as a treatment or incineration facilities. Such equipment includes vacuum tankers, tankers receiving material via a portable pump, the pump itself, hoses and the operators carrying out the recovery procedure.

The generation and accumulation of electrostatic charges, or “static electricity” as it is more commonly known, can lead to the creation of very high voltages on the equipment involved in the transfer. If the voltage rise is not prevented, this can lead to the discharge of a “static spark” with enough energy to ignite a potentially combustible atmosphere if one is present.

This paper will outline how, and why, static electricity is generated, why it is a hazard and what recovery and cleaning service providers can do to protect themselves from this unseen, but ever-present source of ignition.

For more information, please contact:

Newson Gale Ltd, Omega House, Private Road 8, Colwick, Nottingham, NG4 2JXTel: +44 (0)115 940 7500 Fax: +44 (0)115 940 7501

Email: [email protected] Web: www.newson-gale.com

Earth-Rite Tanker Mounted Static Earth Verification System.Mike O’Brien, Product Manager, Newson Gale Ltd

Leak Detection Using Time Resolved FluorescenceSimon Jordan, Martin Brock, Frances Metcalfe. Cambridge Consultants Ltd

The environmental impact of leakage of hydrocarbons has never been more visible to the public with the recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Regulatory pressure in the marine environment will only increase, yet a recent survey of marine leak detection technology by DNV concluded that the current technology does not yet meet requirements. Any proposed system must be highly reliable, have the correct sensitivity and be specific to the fluids of interest.

Crude oil is naturally fluorescent. When ultraviolet light is shone on it, it emits light in the visible spectrum which appears blue-white. This fluorescence is mostly due to the aromatic (benzene ring) hydrocarbons present in the lighter crudes. The emission of light from a thin film of oil is visually striking and shows a principle for a detection system.

A system which can detect a thin layer of oil floating on water can immediately be deployed as a ‘smoke alarm’ underneath a production platform. The low cost means that systems could be fitted to navigation buoys around the coast which ‘phone in’ a warning that spilled oil is coming ashore. A similar system could also used subsea to monitor specific areas or even pinpoint leaks which have already been detected from the surface.

Cambridge Consultants has used its experience in developing highly sensitive fluorescence detection systems to build a technology platform. This shows how the principal physics works and helps estimate the factors limiting the sensitivity of a complete system. We are now beginning discussions with manufacturers and end users to fine-tune our technology to their requirements and develop our ideas further.


Cambridge Consultants Ltd, Science Park, Milton Road,Cambridge, England CB4 0DWTel: +44 (0)1223 420024 Fax: +44 (0)1223 423373

Email: [email protected] Web: www.CambridgeConsultants.com

The current knowledge of the physical fate and behaviour of crude oil and petroleum products spilled in Arctic situations is summarized. Emphasis is placed on the mathematical formulations of the applicable processes. The algorithms and models derived from studies are presented. Oil in and under ice undergoes a variety of changes or transformations depending on location and environmental conditions. Oil spill modeling in such environments becomes complex by the addition of these processes.

Spreading models are evaluated for oil on ice, under ice, in snow, in brash ice, and between blocks of ice. Models of oil transport under sheet and pack ice are considered, both for sea and river conditions. The ability of ice sheets to trap oil is discussed in relation to oil storage capacity. The effects of oil on a growing ice sheet are examined, both for its effects on ice formation and for the thermal effects of oil inclusions in ice. The migration of oil through ice is examined, focussing primarily on the movement through brine channels. The effects of oil on the surface of ice are considered, with emphasis on the effects of surface pools on ice melt. Similar consideration is given to the effects of oil on snow on the surface of ice.

The few quantitative studies of oil in open and dynamic ice conditions are reviewed. Observations of intentional small-scale spills in leads and ice fields are reviewed and compared with observations from real spills. The conditions under which oil pumping from leads occurs are quantified. The most common ultimate fate of oil in an ice field is release onto water.

Oil Behaviour in Ice-Infested WatersM.F. Fingas, Spill Science


Spill Science, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6W 1J6Email: [email protected]

Oil Spill Remote Sensing: What’s NewMerv Fingas, Spill Science

New technologies for oil spill remote-sensing for oil spills are appraised. The technical aspects of sensors are reviewed and the benefits and limitations of each sensor are given with emphasis on new developments.

The use of visible techniques is ubiquitous, however it gives only the same results as visible monitoring. Oil has no particular spectral features that would allow for identification among the many possible background interferences. Infrared offers some potential as an oil spill sensor. In daytime oil absorbs light and remits this as thermal energy at temperatures above ambient. The laser fluorosensor is a useful instrument because of its unique capability to identify oil on backgrounds that include water, soil, weeds, ice and snow. Radar detects oil on water only in that oil will dampen water-surface capillary waves under low to moderate wave/wind conditions. Radar offers the only potential for large area searches, day/night and foul weather remote sensing. Satellite-borne radar sensors are useful however their frequency of overpass and lesser spatial resolution, render them useful for mapping large spills or assisting in ship and platform discharge monitoring.

Many of the new developments are in slick thickness measurements. These techniques are reviewed in greater detail. One technique uses near infrared light adsorption to measure thickness and the other uses the emission of red light to measure slick thickness. These new techniques are reviewed and prospects for their ultimate success given. The third technique, passive microwave has been studied for several years, and there are now commercial instruments. Some of the new results for this technique are given.



The Priority of HNS Materials Using Historical Spill DataMerv Fingas, Spill Science

Historical spill data are very useful for setting priorities and identifying project needs for spill prevention and preparedness. This was recognized by Environment Canada in 1972 and a database was developed to consolidate all Canadian spill data. This spill database contained data on over 180,000 spill events before it was amalgamated into another data base in 2005. About 60% of these spill events are related to oil and petroleum products. About 20% involve wastes and aggregate materials. Only about 10% involve the spillage of “pure” chemicals.

The use of this type of statistical data in the past to set priority list is reviewed as well as the success of these types of data to predict future spills. These data had been used to focus research and development efforts to the most frequently spilled and most harmful chemicals as well as to enhance preparedness for these substances. The development of analytical techniques have been focussed on the top priority chemicals as well as the preparation of chemical-specific response manuals.

This paper presents a summary of the development of priority lists and their utility in interpreting the future spillage patterns. For example, the first 10 priority substances account for 45% of spill numbers, and 24% of spill volume. The first 50 substances account for 80% of spill numbers, and 79% of spill volume. The 150 top priority chemicals account for 92% of spill numbers, and 91% of spill volume. This approach can focus efforts in R&D as well focus spill response planning.



Tracking Oil Spills Using Specialized BuoysMerv Fingas, Spill Science

This is a review of oil spill tracking buoys and devices from 1970 until the present. Since the early 1970’s devices for tracking oil spills have been made and tested. Very early in the oil spill technology, cardboard coupons, plywood pieces, etc., were proposed and sometimes tested. Later some more sophisticated devices were developed and commercialized. Some buoys were equipped with radio transmitters and later satellite transmitters. A literature review shows that over 30 devices were proposed and about 20 tested to a certain degree.

Testing programs on many oil spill tracking devices were carried out. Testing using actual slicks was carried out in the 1970’s and 1980’s. These tests showed that two of the slick tracking devices followed oil very well. Most of the buoys deviated widely from the test oil slicks and were not found to be useful for tracking oil. Later testing showed that some surrogates such as cedar oil with cedar wood chips were useful and thus testing could be carried out without spilling crude oil.

The test results are summarized from a variety of sources. Devices are listed along with the deviation from the true slicks as found in the eight tests found in the literature or from field notes. These results show that two buoys followed oil closely throughout several tests, and most buoys or devices did not. Outstanding issues include the question of whether high winds or variances in oil density will affect the tracking ability.



BioBind is a joint research project of seven partners from different Universities and companies and is financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The aim of the project is to develop an effective and fast oil spill recovery system for near coast shallow water areas and for adverse weather conditions which is compatible to existing concepts. Within the projects both, innovative and individual components as well as an integrated concept are being developed.

The most important individual components are:

a spectral low-cost-method for specification and monitoring of oil spills

bio-degradable oil binders

identification and separation of oil degrading microorganism societies

application technology for combination of micro-organisms and binders

now-cast wave prediction model and the analysis of drift characteristics for the modeling of oil and binders

aircraft and flight tactics for the dropping of binders

appropriate recovery technique at sea and at the coast

integrated ecological assessment of the system.

The developments are performed using i) theoretical investigations, ii) small-, medium-, and large-scale laboratory tests and iii) field tests and studies. The BioBind system will be developed in close co-operation with the German “Havariekommando”. The final integration of all components into one system and into the German oil spill response strategy will be the most important step of the project.

BioBind: Airborne clean-up of oil pollution at sea with biogenic oil bindersMSc. Marcus Behrendt and Dr. Peter Fröhle, University of Rostock


Email. [email protected]

In case of marine oil pollution, the Belgian Marine Environment Protection Law provides two combating options: the mechanical recovery and the use of chemical dispersants. Currently, the decision to authorize the use of chemical dispersants relies on the “best educated” guess of the national experts. The same experts have highlighted the lack of scientific-based information that could affect their judgment and claimed for a tool that could help them in performing a “Net Environmental Benefit Analysis” (NEBA). At their request and in close collaboration with them, MUMM is currently developing a new web-based service, named OSERIT (Oil Spill Evaluation and Response Integrated Tool).

The new service requires developing both, a new 3D drift and fate model and an operational web-based interface. The new model is able to simulate the time and space evolution of oil concentration in the water column as well as the exposure time of a predefined set of oil-sensitive areas. This new fate model combines the advantages of the Lagrangian approach for modeling surface processes and the Eulerian approach to simulate the oil concentration dispersed in the water column. An intuitive web interface is being developed to integrate the relevant pieces of information to perform a NEBA for the Belgian part of the North Sea. It will allow the end-users to perform a ‘baseline’ simulation of the oil evolution (assuming no response action is undertaken) and compare it with simulations of chemically dispersed oil.

OSERIT: a Belgian support tool in case of oil pollutionValérie Dulière and Sébastien Legrand, Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models


Dr Valérie Dulière, Researcher, Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models, 100 Gulledelle, 1200 Brussels (Belgium)Email: [email protected]

A New Methodology for Stochastic Analysis of Oil Spill Impacts on Very Long Coastal Stretches. Moreno, I. (R&D Researcher), Rubio, P. (Project Leader), Ruiz-Mateo, A. (Director of the Department for Marine Studies). Centre for Harbours and Coastal Studies. CEDEX. (Spain)

Assessing the risk of oil beaching arising from a single point mooring (SPM) leakage is essential for the Environmental Impact Assessment and the preparation of a thorough and effective Contingency Plan, especially if the slick can affect coastal stretches longer than 100 km. A new project for the construction of a refinery in Spain plans to unload oil in a SPM offshore the city of Huelva, near Doñana Nature Reserve.

A new probabilistic methodology had to be defined to identify beaches vulnerable to an accidental spill at the SPM. This decision was made after the review of several models. Those that describe hydrodynamics in more detail require a high setup time and expertise and a high computational effort; further, they are not able to cope with a substantial number of runs in short times. Likewise, those focused in oil weathering do not usually represent hydrodynamics accurately enough to deal with the present problem. The implementation of the methodology involved building a very simple model capable of running fast over a number of scenarios big enough to take into account different spilled volumes, wind and current velocities, and oil collection equipment. Simplifications consisted, for example, in dividing the domain into 3 zones, each represented by a single wind rose. Slick size and trajectories were computed for every scenario for 14 days or until the slick reached the beach or it escaped the model domain. A probability distribution was computed for each of the 136 defined stretches considering different oil volumes (Figure 1). With these results, the most vulnerable areas were identified and recommendations to protect them adequately were offered.


Centro de Estudios de Puertos y Costas, CEDEX, Madrid, Spain.Email: [email protected] Web: www.cedex.es

ARCOPOL+ Web tools for information management during incident responsePedro Montero, Begoña Vila, Silvia Allen-Perkins, Alberto Gómez, Antonio Novas and Garbiñe Ayensa.

Presented by Garbiñe Ayensa, Head of Documentation and Scientific Support, Intecmar, [email protected] Instituto tecnológico para el control del medio marino de Galicia (INTECMAR)Peirao de Vilaxoán s/n. Vilagarcía de Arousa.36630 PontevedraSpaiPhone: +34 986 512320 Fax: +34 986 512300

Under ARCOPOL project INTECMAR has developed several web tools able of integrating information from observations, models, environmental, socioeconomic and operational data bases. The ARCOPOL tools allow sharing and manage information from different sources and different formats adapting it to the real-time needs for incident response of stakeholders and decision makers. The tools have been developed under the Open Geospatial Consortium standards, with several web services implemented (WMS, WFS, WFS-T). It also includes another kind of products that used their own protocols, such as OpenDAP or Thredds, which are widely known and used by the oceanographic community.

Information to be managed comes from very heterogeneous sources as drifters and buoys, satellite and airborne images, in situ data, models, HF radar and from very heterogeneous formats as images and pictures, vector data (Shapefiles, GML,…) or gridded data (HDF5, NetCDF,…). All this information is georeferencied in the same coordinates system and shared in a robust, clean and accurate way.

Tools can be easily used by heterogeneous end users to display and get data:

“Thin” users that need little information but useful, manage simple tools and mostly free and broad-band internet is not always assured.

“Heavy” users as modelers that need a huge volume of data and input and output communications.

ARCOPOL+ will focus on fitting of these tools into regional needs.

Further information for Galician area (NW Spain) can be seen at:

Web: http://ww3.intecmar.org/arcopolEmail: [email protected]

Project objective: To investigate the potential of using a wide bubble barriers as an oil spill countermeasure.

Previously performed laboratory and field tests Initial tests in SINTEF’s oil weathering flume tank Small scale field tests of a towed bubble raft ahead

of an oil boom over the natural oil seep fields near Santa Barbara, California

Large scale tests at SINTEF’s flume tank at The North Sea Centre in Hirtshals, Denmark

Meso scale tests with oil in SINTEF’s seawater basin

Full scale tests in the tidal sound of Skarnsundet in Trondheimsfjorden Measured current amplitudes of more than 1 m/s (2 knots) Predominantly tidal current changing its direction periodically (12 h 25 min) Mean tidal spring range of 263 cm

The bubble raft Constructed from trusses of galvanized pipe coupling 12 m long and 1.5 m wide 5 pressure pipes of 35 mm PE Each pipe was perforated by 1.5 mm diameter holes every 10 cm Two diesel compressors delivering a maximum air flux of 13 Nm3/min Depth capacity of 2.5 m

There is a prevailing scepticism to the bubble curtain efficiency as an oil spill countermeasure in strong currents: At water current speeds exceeding one foot per second (30 cm/s), the pneumatic barrier no longer functions effectively, limiting deployable sites. (Wikipedia)

A proof to the contrary was given by the full scale tests in Skarnsundet where an air flux of 13 Nm3/min distributed through a 5-sparger grating at 2.4 m depth functioned effectively at water currents exceeding 1 knot (50 cm/s).

Oil Spill Containment by use of Air BubblesGrim Eidnes, SINTEF Materials and Chemistry


Senior Scientist Grim Eidnes, Marine Environmental Technology,SINTEF Materials and ChemistryEmail: [email protected]: Research Council of Norway, Statoil ASA and Eni Norge

A methodology for conducting oil spill response analysis for use of dispersants has been developed. The methodology includes an analysis of a selection of standardised oil spill scenarios. The methodology forms a basis for preparing a set of generic action plans for use in an early phase of an oil spill situation most suited to an individual oil spill. The generic action plans may be used as a basis for preparing more operational action plans as the oil spill scenario develops. The OSCAR (Oil Spill Contingency and Response) model is used for simulations of selected oil spill scenarios.

The methodology consists of: Selection oil spill scenarios: 50 m3, 500 m3, 1000 m3, 2000 m3

and blowout Knowledge about the weathering and the physical-chemical properties

of the oil, and the time window for use of dispersant Oil spill response (no-response, mechanical recovery and use of dispersants) Natural resources (fish egg/larvae and birds) Simulation by use of the OSCAR (Oil Spill Contingency and Analysis) model Exposure studies of birds on the sea surface and spawning products in the water column NEDRA (Net Environmental Damage Response Assessment) Developing generic action plans as a basis for operational action plans during an oil spill situation

The oil spill analysis will contribute to: Decision concerning use or not use of dispersants A good communication toward the authorities Valuable input for preparing oil spill contingency plans

Evaluating the use of dispersants: A methodology for evaluating a strategy for use of dispersants in oil spill contingencyKristin Rist Sørheim, SINTEF Materials and Chemistry


Research Scientist, Kristin Rist Sørheim (SINTEF Materials and Chemistry) Email: [email protected] Web: www.sintef.com

Senior Environmental Advisor, Anders Bjørgesæter (Acona)Email: [email protected] Web: www.acona.com

Chemical characterization of oil-water system using stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE)-thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS).Rami Kanan, Julien Guyomarch and Stéphane Le Floch (Cedre), Hélène Budzinski (University of Bordeaux) and Jan T. Andersson (University of Muenster)

The latest oil spills which have occurred in recent years have shown an increasing demand for detailed assessments of the chemical contamination induced in the water column. This is particularly true for the Deepwater Horizon incident, for which the chemical dispersion of the oil was largely used as an emergency response. Even at low concentrations due to dilution processes, hydrocarbons are known to generate impacts, and sanitary questions can be raised.

When spilled at sea, a crude oil is subjected to weathering processes such as evaporation, emulsification, photo-oxidation and dispersion in the water column which occur under natural conditions. Concerning dispersion, many oil compounds are dissolved in seawater as polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) which represent a category of molecules known as highly toxic and that can cause both short- and long-term effects. Therefore, it is of major interest to be able to characterize any contamination of the water column by this family of chemical compounds, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Several methods have been applied to the determination a variable number of PACs (from 16 to 21 compounds) in aqueous sample but no work which focuses the analysis of a large number of dissolved PACs has been published to our knowledge. In this context, Cedre has developed new method of analysis by stir bar sorptive extraction technique (SBSE) and thermal desorption coupled to capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SBSE-TD-GC-MS) fully dedicated to the analyses of about 52 molecules or groups of molecules. This protocol was successfully applied to the analysis of PACs in Water Accommodated Fraction (WAF) and Water Soluble Fraction (WSF) of seawater samples prepared in the laboratory from a crude oil.


Dr Stéphane Le Floch, Research and Development Service,715 Rue Alain Colas - CS 41836 - 29218 Brest Cedex 2, FranceTel (Direct Line): +33 (0)2 98 33 67 02 Fax: +33 (0)2 98 44 91 38

Email: [email protected] Web: www.cedre.fr

Ex-USS Chehalis: Sunken Vessel Fuel OffloadStephanie Brown, Oil Spill Response & Salvage Engineer, Office of the Supervisor of Salvage and Diving- Naval Sea Systems Command

Concluding on April 6, 2010, the US Coast Guard (USCG) and Navy (USN) teamed to successfully remove 68,200 gallons of petroleum products, including diesel and highly volatile aviation gasoline, from the sunken ex-USS CHEHALIS, rendering it harmless to the pristine harbor on the island of Tutuila, American Samoa. This sunken WWII- era U.S Navy Patapsco Class gasoline tanker was the suspected source of minor but reoccurring pollution in Pago Pago Harbor for decades. A salvage survey in 1959 determined that the costs were far greater than any benefit derived from a successful salvage and subsequent surveys confirmed these same findings. However, at the request of the Samoan government, an operation under the authority of the USCG teamed with the U.S. Navy Salvage community resulted in the successful offload of the remaining fuel products from CHEHALIS, thus eliminating a potential catastrophic release. The hot tapping method was employed for offloading the diesel fuel tanks and a one-of a kind suction head was engineered specifically to pump the volatile gasoline tanks and prevent sparking. Approximately 72 surface supplied and scuba dives to nearly 160 feet were safely conducted to complete the job. The recovered fuel was pumped to a barge and transported back to the United States for recycling. This operation also successfully navigated the delicate political issues of such sunken vessel offload operations and well equipped the USCG and Navy Salvage community with valuable lessons learned for similar situations in the future.


Stephanie Brown, P.E., Oil Spill Response/Salvage EngineerSupervisor of Salvage and Diving, Naval Sea Systems CommandTel: +001 202-781-4367 Fax: +001 202-904-7534

Email: [email protected]

Input data for Oil Spill – and Environmental Risk modelingHelene Østbøll (M.Sc), Senior Consultant, Det Norske Veritas (DNV)

Model results are never more accurate than the model input data. Many input parameters are set at an early and uncertain stage of the development process of the activity. It is important to collect and set up the most correct available input parameters, to give the most realistic environmental risk picture for the activity addressed, or set up a wider range of input parameters to prepare for future changes. For an oil field it is necessary to find all potential scenarios where an accidental discharge of oil may happen, e.g. blowout, riser- and pipeline leakage, spill from the process plant, collisions with tankers and/or FPSO, etc.

The drift and degradation of oil after a spill at sea is modelled by the SINTEF model OSCAR. This model has the capability of modelling a large number of discharge rate and –duration combinations as a basis for DNV’s operational environmental risk assessment tool - OPERAto. To model the environmental risk DNV has developed a post processing tool called Miraculix. Necessary input parameters for Miraculix are probability for a spill to happen (frequency based on activity level), probability distribution for topside vs. subsea release, probability for different rates and durations and distribution of selected environmental resources such as seabirds, fish, marine mammals and coastal habitats.

OPERAto makes the operators able to continuously update and monitor the level of environmental risk throughout the year and lifetime of the field, even if changes in the input parameters.


Helene Østbøll, Senior Consultant,Environmental Risk ManagementTel: ++47 930 62 635

Email: [email protected] Web: www.dnv.com

The operational use of satellite data in maritime applications allows to monitor sea waters worldwide.

The detection of oil pollution at sea based on Radar Satellite Sensors is already an European effective operational service since 2007.

In order to effectively respond to an oil spill, remote sensing information coming from airplane or satellite are essential to give location and dimension of the slick.

Satellite detection allows to reduce to one tenth the estimated monitoring unit cost (€/km2) with respect toairplanes equipped with radar sensors.

Moreover with particular reference to spills located far from the coast and in areas where the operations with airplanes are not suitable, satellite is often the only available choice.

The Oil and Gas Maritime sector, in case of emergency situations, drove the Service Providers to further develop their operational capabilities and technology in order to satisfy the operational Users’ requirements: to require satellite acquisition with a very short advance (1 day), to receive the Oil spill Detection reports up to 30 minutes from Satellite pass and a monitoring capability that is independent from weather conditions and daytime.

Taking the above into account, the capability for efficient response in case of an emergency is linked not only to the time the data are received by the Ground Segment, but to several other components of the response systems as:1. Tasking time of the satellites2. Revisit time of the different satellites3. Location of the Ground Segments Reception capabilities4. 24h emergency and data access availability

Therefore to correctly respond to these requirements is essential to improve the link between the satellite operators/service providers and the different operators in the Oil & Gas sector with specific procedures to be activated during the emergencies.

Satellite Sar Sensors - Emergency Response CapabilityC. Morucci, Business Development Head of Oil & Gas, Environment, Land Management, Security, Maritime at e-GEOS; M. Angelucci, Technical Manager; P. Nicolosia Head of Maritime Line Product Line; D. Quattrociocchi, Technical Manager


Carlos Morucci, Business Development Head of Oil & Gas, Environment, Land Management, Security and Maritime. e-GEOS S.p.A., 71 Via Cannizzaro, 00156, Rome, Italy. Email: [email protected] Web: www.e-geos.it AN AS I / TELESPAZIO COMPANY

Oil Spill generated by an oil rig. COSMO-SkyMed © ASI, processed and distributed by e-GEOS

Previously, pollution risks in coastal and marine environments were only quantified in a static mode, considering historical data, reference situations, and typical scenarios, in a planning stage. The increasing predictive capacity of metocean conditions and fate and behaviour of pollutants spilt at sea or costal zones, and the presence of monitoring tools like vessel traffic control systems, can both provide a safer support for decision-making in emergency or planning issues associated to pollution risks. An innovative system to dynamically produce quantified risks in real time, integrating best available information from numerical forecasts and the existing monitoring tools, has been developed. This system provides coastal pollution risk levels associated to potential (or real) oil spill incidents, taking into account regional statistic information on vessel accidents and coastal sensitivity indexes (obtained in EROCIPS project), real time vessel information (positioning, speed, cargo and vessel type) obtained from AIS, best-available metocean numerical forecasts (downloaded using EASYCO project tools) and simulated scenarios by the oil spill fate and behaviour component of MOHID Water Modelling System.

Different spill fate and behaviour simulations are continuously generated and processed in background (assuming hypothetical spills from vessels), based on variable vessel information and metocean conditions, and results from these simulations are used in the quantification the consequences of potential spills.

This innovative and integrated approach to risk mapping can be used on the generation of real time warnings for high risk levels, or on the prioritisation of individual ships or geographical areas, providing an intelligent risk-based vessel traffic monitoring, and improving decision support model. This system was initially implemented in Portugal (ARCOPOL project), and will be improved and extended to additional Atlantic regions in the scope of ARCOPOL+ project.

Operational Management of Environmental Risks associated to Spills: Implementing a Real Time Dynamic Risk Mapping Tool in the Atlantic AreaRodrigo Fernandes Msc., Environmental Engineer, Researcher at MARETEC - Instituto, Superior Técnico. Co-Authors: Ramiro Neves; MARETEC – Instituto Superior Técnico; Filipe Lourenço, Action Modulers; Frank Braunschweig, Action Modulers


Rodrigo Fernandes, Msc., Environmental Engineer. Researcher at MARETEC - Instituto Superior Técnico

Email: ([email protected])

Change vs Transformation: A Perspective on the Joint Industry Task Force on Oil Spill Preparedness and ResponseLCDR Meridena Kauffman, U.S. Coast Guard, Interagency and Industry Coordination at the American Petroleum Institute

Following the April 2010 DEEPWATER HORIZON oil spill in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. is in a better position to respond to oil spills both in the U.S. and abroad. Since April 2010, the industry has taken an aggressive leadership role in improving the state of oil spill response capability, both in the U.S. and in the world. Many reports, assessments and evaluations were written about the DEEPWATER HORIZON response in order to identify areas of improvement. The American Petroleum Institute (API), in cooperation with industry organizations, established the Joint Industry Task Force (JITF) on Oil Spill Preparedness and Response in order to take a closer look at the industry’s lessons learned and capability to respond to a spill of national significance. The JITF was composed of approximately 36 companies and organizations. On September 3, 2010 the JITF published a report describing their findings. This resulted in the establishment of the API Subcommittee on Oil Spill Preparedness and Response and 16 active workgroups to address the recommendations. The workgroups are composed of members from multiple companies, many with significant technical expertise. They are addressing oil spill preparedness and response improvements in the areas of oil spill response planning, oil sensing and tracking, dispersant application, in situ burning, mechanical recovery, shoreline protection and cleanup, and alternative response technologies. These improvements are not unique to the United States and will have broad global impact. Because the international response community is very interconnected and interdependent, this process and the products that are developed need to be shared in order to get the best results possible. This paper will describe the U.S. petroleum industry’s approach to improving the state of oil spill preparedness and response.


LCDR Meridena Kauffman, U.S. Coast GuardInteragency and Industry CoordinationAmerican Petroleum Institute1220 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005Tel. 202-682-8453 Email. [email protected]

A culture clash exists between pollution responders and strategic planners. Responders are trained to focus in on the current crisis. Strategists are expected to consider the desired state of the organization and what it takes to get there. The two rarely work together. Global conditions and ever rising public expectations press leaders from industry, government, and NGOs to focus on and resolve short-term problems at almost any cost. This approach has been effective because responders rely on a networked system of plans and a closely associated circle of responders. This tactical culture pays scant attention to the long-term consequences of current response decisions, considers external stakeholders only in the context of crisis communications, and does not promote the development of future leaders with strong strategic thinking skills. The response community needs a culture shift. A new class of pollution responders must promote a culture of learning as a core value, and requires a model of training and development which integrates operational and strategic thinking. These new responders must be able to integrate the tactical needs of an individual response with more strategic concerns, and must also be able to identify and incorporate the longer term needs of the response community, external forces and the public as a whole. Learning leaders must drive responses rather than being driven by them. Through learning experiences, responders can lead this change from within. If achieved, this necessary shift in the culture of pollution response will ensure a future of dynamic and effective response leaders.

The New Pollution ResponderRaymond Bradley, American Petroleum Institute, Policy Advisor, Marine and Security Operations


LCDR Meridena Kauffman, U.S. Coast GuardInteragency and Industry CoordinationAmerican Petroleum Institute1220 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005Tel. 202-682-8453 Email. [email protected]

Tuesday 13thMarch 20121300 - 1330:

Cambridge Consultants

Spill Science – Poster 1

Cedre

University Of Rostock

North Sea Mathematical

Models

Newson Gale

Wednesday 14thMarch 20121300 - 1330:

e-GEOS

Maretec



Sintef – Poster 1

USCG/API – Poster 1

Thursday 15thMarch 20121300 - 1330:

US Navy

Intecmar

Sintef – Poster 2

USCG/API – Poster 2

DNV


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