Oil Spill Contingency Guidelines
Introduction
In accordance with the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998, there is a requirement in the UK for ports, harbours and oil handling facilities, to prepare and submit oil spill response contingency plans to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for approval. This must be carried out if the port, harbour or oil handling facility falls into one of the following categories:
any harbour for which there is a statutory harbour authority having an annual turnover of more than £1 million, or
any other harbour or oil handling facility offering berths alongside, on buoys or at anchor, to ships of over 400 GT or oil tankers of over 150 GT, or
any other harbour or oil handling facility in respect of which the Secretary of State has served the harbour authority or operator (as the case may be), a notice stating that he is of the opinion that maritime activities undertaken at that harbour or facility involve a significant risk of spillage of over 10 tonnes of oil, or
any harbour or oil handling facility on which the Secretary of State has served the harbour authority or operator a notice stating that he is of the opinion that it is located in an area of significant environmental sensitivity, or in an area where a discharge of oil or other substances could cause significant economic damage.
Contingency Planning for Marine Pollution Preparedness and Response: Guidelines for Ports, has been produced to aid those involved in the creation of oil spill response contingency plans and aims to promote a coherent national approach to the successful management of oil pollution incidents. They are designed to ensure that the National Contingency Plan (NCP) and local plans, including those of harbour authorities, work in harmony to enable an effective response. With the aim to engender a more holistic approach to contingency planning, the new Guidelines now link closely with the Port Marine Safety Code. They also encourage ports and harbours to consider the ‘Safe Haven’ scenario as well as the complications of the forthcoming Hazardous & Noxious Substance (HNS) Protocol to OPRC.
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