Oil Spill Response Systems of South Florida and the Country of Qatar

1998 ◽  
Vol 1613 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
Fazil T. Najafi ◽  
Roy McKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Response Times ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Response System ◽  
Response Information ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
The Persian Gulf ◽  
And Control ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup

Both South Florida and Qatar have unique needs and requirements for oil spill response, yet both have basic needs for a contingency plan for responding to oil spills. South Florida has a diverse coastal environment that is important not only for its ecosystem but for the revenue it generates from tourism and fishing. Qatar is sitting on the world’s largest natural gas fields and some larger oil fields and is one of the world’s richest countries. The oil spill response system of South Florida differs in operational structure from that of Qatar. South Florida’s response system is a network-based operation controlled by county or city officials, depending on the degree of the spill and availability of resources. Qatar’s system is a central control operation, with primary authority and control of any oil spill response assumed by the Qatar General Petroleum Corporation (QGPC). Local industries are expected to protect their own facilities, but QGPC also responds to those spills that threaten public and government coasts and the Persian Gulf ecosystem. The University of Florida has developed a computerized database for South Florida that enables officials of national, regional, and state response teams to quickly identify and deploy required equipment and personnel for an oil spill and to follow cleanup operations. The specific advantage of the South Florida system over the Qatar system is in the oil spill response information system database, which includes information on oil-sensitive shorelines, response teams, disposal sites, cleanup organizations, and equipment. Furthermore, the typical oil spill cleanup response times for selected contractors indicate the most efficient choice of contractor for possible oil spills at different locations.

Tidal Inlet Protection Strategies for Oil Spill Response; Concepts, Testing, and Considerations

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 287225
Author(s):  
Bradford Benggio ◽  
Kimberly Chesteen ◽  
Jason DeSantis ◽  
Richard Knudsen ◽  
John Slaughter
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Tidal Inlet ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Environmental Resources ◽  
Tidal Inlets ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Oil Spill Response

Coastal Area Contingency Plans (ACP) developed by local Area Committees are the consensus stakeholder documents that guide response actions to oil spills. Key to these ACPs are the Geographic Response Plans (GRPs) that identify specific areas and resources that are priorities for protection during spill response. Within the GRPs, the operational strategies to protect each priority are pre-identified and depicted on maps. One of the priorities contained within the GRPs are tidal inlets. They are the gateways to much of the most sensitive habitat and resources to protect in the event of an oil spill. To address protection of these important gateways, Tidal Inlet Protection Strategies (TIPS) for Oil Spill Response have been developed that are scientifically and operationally based. They are designed to protect the resources inside the inlet from oil that may enter from an offshore source. Tidal inlets, while among the most important areas to protect, are also some of the most difficult to effectively protect. This is due to strong currents created by flood and ebb tidal flows (which are often not fully known), associated bathymetry stability issues (shoaling), responder access, and sensitive resource concerns subject to impact from the oil as well as from response actions. The inlets, in addition to being so critical for the protection of environmental resources, are also typically very important gateways for commerce and other waterway use activities. The TIPS concept has been tested for several inlets over the years. Most recently, a class A inlet (highest degree of difficulty) strategy was tested in South Florida. This poster will present issues related to the value and importance of developing and testing TIPS, hurdles and difficulties to overcome when planning TIPS projects and tests, positive outcomes from an operational perspective as well as from benefits derived from education, coordination and management of expectations of government, industry, and the public when it comes to protection of environmental resources during a major oil spill. Finally, the poster will offer recommendations and issues for discussion that area committees should consider relative to TIPS and area contingency planning in general.

Guanabara Bay Oil Spill 2000, Brazil – Cetacean Response

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 1035-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kirwan John Short
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Guanabara Bay ◽  
Operational Strategies ◽  
Response System ◽  
System A ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT On the 18th January 2000 a broken pipeline owned and operated by the oil company Petrobras spilt some 1300 tonne of bunker fuel into Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. The wildlife response was divided amongst 2 operational strategies and included – avian fauna and cetaceans. This paper deals with the cetacean response only. Cetaceans are generally not considered as an important feature of an oil spill response. Contingency planning for cetaceans in oil spills is now becoming an important element for preparedness for some countries. The cetacean response in Guanabara Bay specifically targeted a pod of about 70 members of the species Sotalia fluviatilis, a small dolphin that inhabits the bay. The response included the development of a plan that included a response system, a monitoring program and action plans. The response system detailed the mechanism for the plan to work and adopted the incident control management system. The monitoring program related to the study of any short term or long term deleterious effects resulting from the spill and consisted of basic spatial, temporal and behavioural studies. Action plans were developed specific to the character of Guanabara Bay and included the rescue and rehabilitation strategies necessary to respond to oil affected cetaceans. A training program was then developed and implemented to personnel who were to enact the cetacean response.

The Evolution of a Dispersant Spraying Platform from Turboprop to Jet Engine Aircraft

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2811-2825
Author(s):  
Claudia Caetano ◽  
Daniel White
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Jet Engine ◽  
Preparation Phase ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Response Phase

ABSTRACT Abstract 2017-370. As a result of a successful modification to an Oil Spill Response Limited Boeing 727 aircraft (registration G-OSRA) to enable aerial dispersant spraying, a paper has been written, aiming to provide an insight into the introduction of a turbine aircraft dispersant-application platform and the implications of the evolution from turboprop to jet engine aircraft. Furthermore, Oil Spill Response Limited has recently commissioned and introduced a second aircraft of the same modification specification (registration G-OSRB). As a response technique, dispersant application can have a significant impact on tackling large quantities of oil at sea; however, much of its effectiveness relies on targeting the oil during the window of opportunity in which dispersant will work successfully, in the early stages of the weathering processes. Time is, therefore, a critical factor and it is this key aspect, as well as others explored in detail throughout the paper, that led to the development of a pioneering system, specifically designed to respond to oil spills, that will undoubtedly prove to have a positive impact in terms of response times to incident sites. The paper also presents the reasons supporting the choice of a Boeing 727-2S2F (RE) aircraft as the chosen platform for dispersant spraying operations, such as the power to weight ratio, cargo capacity, and rearward mounted engine positions, to name but a few. It is also important to analyse the benefits of the Boeing 727-2S2F (RE) and the dispersant spraying system it contains during the different stages of the incident life cycle, be it during the preparation phase or the response phase. In the preparation phase, one of the advantages to highlight is the resilience of having two aircraft operated under a back to back schedule of maintenance as envisioned by a maintenance program specially designed to ensure continuous operational availability. During the response phase, aircraft such as G-OSRA and G-OSRB benefit from reduced transit times to incident sites due to the higher speed through the air that is possible with jet aircraft. Also, the paper also compares some key performance indicators such as range and speed between the turboprop aircraft of choice, Hercules L-382 and the Boeing 727-2S2F (RE).

LOGISTICS FOR THE CONDUCT OF CONTROLLED OIL SPILL EXPERIMENTON BIORESTORATION OF FRESHWATER WETLANDS

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (2) ◽  
pp. 1467-1469
Author(s):  
Stéphane Grenon ◽  
Vincent Jarry ◽  
Darcy Longpré ◽  
Kenneth Lee ◽  
Albert D. Venosa
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
The United States ◽  
Freshwater Wetlands ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Emergency Responders ◽  
And Control ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup ◽  
St Lawrence River

ABSTRACT The St. Lawrence River, situated between Canada and the United States, provides a major transport route in North America for the transport of millions of tons of crude oil, condensates, and refined products each year. In addition, as one of the largest rivers in the world, it is of major ecological significance. For example, over 55,000 hectares of wetlands are found along the St. Lawrence alone. These areas provide habitat for wildlife, the nurseries for fisheries, and control coastal erosion are highly vulnerable to oil spills. Furthermore, as traditional oil spill cleanup methods may be ineffective or cause more damage, emergency responders are considering less intrusive methods such as biorestoration as operational countermeasures. A biorestoration experiment was designed to measure the effectiveness of this method in the St. Lawrence River. To conduct this experiment, 1,200 liters of crude oil were to be spilled in a controlled manner over an experimental zone of 750 m2 in a marsh area. To obtain regulatory approvals from governmental agencies, environmental groups and, more importantly, to avoid the “not in my backyard” protests from the local communities, site selection, emergency planning, contingency measures, and especially community meetings, were all necessary steps towards the acceptance of the project. This controlled spill was done in June 1998 without any incident. Sampling of the experimental site will be completed in the fall of 2000. This paper aims to provide insights on the steps needed to gain acceptance from concerned citizens for the conduct of a controlled oil spill experiment.

VESSEL RESPONSE PLANS: A TILE IN THE MOSAIC OF THE NATIONAL RESPONSE SYSTEM1

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 926-926
Author(s):  
Duane Michael Smith
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Oil Pollution ◽  
The Past ◽  
Response System ◽  
National Response ◽  
Vessel Response ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT With the implementation of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 came the requirement for vessels to develop plans for responding to oil spills from their vessels. While some companies had such plans in the past, the National Response System did not formally recognize their existence. Individual vessel response plans must now be viewed as an integral part of the National Response System. All of the parties that could be involved in an oil spill response must begin to view themselves as one tile of many that make up the mosaic known as the National Response System.

JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN: LOGISTICS CONCEPTS, PROCESSES, AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN MAJOR OIL SPILL RESPONSE

1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 (1) ◽  
pp. 645-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Ives
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Contingency Planning ◽  
Support Strategies ◽  
Major Response ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
And Control ◽  
Oil Spill Cleanup

ABSTRACT A comprehensive examination of the major logistics elements of a large-scale oil spill removal organization (OSRO) has been completed, focusing on the contingency support aspects of the organization—the development of oil spill logistics concepts, processes, and infrastructure. The key principles associated with command and control, contingency planning, and resource management were considered in the context of the most recent major response—the barge Morris J. Berman spill at San Juan, Puerto Rico. The manner in which sound logistics support strategies quickly injected organization into response processes, shaped available options, and influenced the success of a major oil spill cleanup operation was observed and examined.

scholarly journals Modelling Oil Spill around Bay of Samsun, Turkey, with the Use of Oilmap and Adios Software Systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-125
Author(s):  
Ali Cemal Toz
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Oil Transport ◽  
Response System ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Trajectory Models ◽  
Surface Spread ◽  
Data Inquiry ◽  
The City

Abstract Bay of Samsun is one of the most important oil transport gateways in Black Sea. The region is surrounded with the coasts which have various levels of environmental sensitivity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the oil spill and predict the future accidents likely to be encountered around the Bay of Samsun. To be well informed about fate, this study makes the best possible use of two trajectory models. One of them, ADIOS (Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills), has been applied to natural degradation calculations, and the other one, OILMAP (oil spill model and response system), has been used for surface spread simulation. Hence in order to identify the risky areas three scenarios have been developed. Their results reveal that in case of oil spills, with average environmental conditions, there is a risk of contamination for the city of Samsun. Although the area under the risk is the same, contamination density is totally different depending upon the quantity and the type of spilt oil. The results gained through these efforts are hoped to be useful for many organizations dealing with oil spill response operations and contribute to an effective coordination among the relevant institutions.

ECOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE VULNERABILITY OF THE COASTS OF THE KARA SEA TO THE OIL SPILL

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Ermolov ◽  
Alexander Ermolov
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
International System ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Expert Assessments ◽  
International Systems

International experience of oil spill response in the sea defines the priority of coastal protection and the need to identify as most valuable in ecological terms and the most vulnerable areas. Methodological approaches to the assessing the vulnerability of Arctic coasts to oil spills based on international systems of Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) and geomorphological zoning are considered in the article. The comprehensive environmental and geomorphological approach allowed us to form the morphodynamic basis for the classification of seacoasts and try to adapt the international system of indexes to the shores of the Kara Sea taking into account the specific natural conditions. This work has improved the expert assessments of the vulnerability and resilience of the seacoasts.

scholarly journals Next-Generation Smart Response Web (NG-SRW): An Operational Spatial Decision Support System for Maritime Oil Spill Emergency Response in the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6585
Author(s):  
Mihhail Fetissov ◽  
Robert Aps ◽  
Floris Goerlandt ◽  
Holger Jänes ◽  
Jonne Kotta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Spatial Decision Support System ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
The Baltic

The Baltic Sea is a unique and sensitive brackish-water ecosystem vulnerable to damage from shipping activities. Despite high levels of maritime safety in the area, there is a continued risk of oil spills and associated harmful environmental impacts. Achieving common situational awareness between oil spill response decision makers and other actors, such as merchant vessel and Vessel Traffic Service center operators, is an important step to minimizing detrimental effects. This paper presents the Next-Generation Smart Response Web (NG-SRW), a web-based application to aid decision making concerning oil spill response. This tool aims to provide, dynamically and interactively, relevant information on oil spills. By integrating the analysis and visualization of dynamic spill features with the sensitivity of environmental elements and value of human uses, the benefits of potential response actions can be compared, helping to develop an appropriate response strategy. The oil spill process simulation enables the response authorities to judge better the complexity and dynamic behavior of the systems and processes behind the potential environmental impact assessment and thereby better control the oil combat action.

A GIS planning model for urban oil spill management

2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 239-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Li
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Planning Model ◽  
Local Conservation ◽  
Control Plan ◽  
Environmental Features ◽  
And Control ◽  
The City

Oil spills in industrialized cities pose a significant threat to their urban water environment. The largest city in Canada, the city of Toronto, has an average 300–500 oil spills per year with an average total volume of about 160,000 L/year. About 45% of the spills was eventually cleaned up. Given the enormous amount of remaining oil entering into the fragile urban ecosystem, it is important to develop an effective pollution prevention and control plan for the city. A Geographic Information System (GIS) planning model has been developed to characterize oil spills and determine preventive and control measures available in the city. A database of oil spill records from 1988 to 1997 was compiled and geo-referenced. Attributes to each record such as spill volume, oil type, location, road type, sector, source, cleanup percentage, and environmental impacts were created. GIS layers of woodlots, wetlands, watercourses, Environmental Sensitive Areas, and Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest were obtained from the local Conservation Authority. By overlaying the spill characteristics with the GIS layers, evaluation of preventive and control solutions close to these environmental features was conducted. It was found that employee training and preventive maintenance should be improved as the principal cause of spills was attributed to human errors and equipment failure. Additionally, the cost of using oil separators at strategic spill locations was found to be $1.4 million. The GIS model provides an efficient planning tool for urban oil spill management. Additionally, the graphical capability of GIS allows users to integrate environmental features and spill characteristics in the management analysis.

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