MUMM - Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models
RBINS - Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences
National North Sea Contingency Plan: the Shaping of Operational Arrangements
Thierry G. JACQUES
Marine Environmental Management Section
MUMM
2006 http://www.mumm.ac.be/ http://www.mumm.ac.be
/

1.
Setting the scene – the history
2.
Legal foundations
3.
Features of the response strategy
4.
Operational arrangements
5.
Conclusions

Rotterdam, Hamburg
1. Setting the scene
Dover Strait 65 km of coast
Antwerp

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1987
1987
1988
1988
1988
1988
1989
1989
1981
1982
1982
1982
1982
1983
1984
1985
1985
1986
1987
The eighties: 19 accident alarms
World Dignity
Jumpa
Saint Anthony
Molesta
Benetank
Sterling
Mont-Louis
Stamy
Contract Voyager
Staffortshire
Herald of Free Ent.
Olympic Dream
Skyron
Borcea
Seafreight Fariway
Anna Broere
Westeral
Paul Robeson
Perintis
100,000 t crude containers, toxic
38,000 t crude fuel
3,000 t heavy fuel
55,000 t crude nuclear reprocessed fuel dangerous drums light petroleum gas
5 dangerous lorries
2,100 t gasoline
137,000 t crude fuel
3 dangerous lorries
550 t acrylonitrile dangerous containers grounding
5.8 t lindane

•30 50-t cylinders of UF6
• just off limits, out of control

1987
> 100 different chemicals
HFE
From passive to reactive: 1988 North Sea Plan approved

29 accident alarms
British Trent (1993)

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1990
1990
1990
1991
1991
1991
1991
1991
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1992
1992
1992
1992
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1992
……
Bussewitz
Thomas Weber
Viva
14,000 t ammonia
221 dangerous drums fuel
Tomisi
Globel Ling fuel fuel
Clipper Confidence Pb concentrate, Cu, Zn
Grete Turkol ethylbenzene
British Esk naphtha
Jostelle
Atlantic Carrier
Nordfrakt
Long Lin
Amer Fuji fuel fuel
3,252 t lead sulphide fuel fuel

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…
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1993
1993
1993
1993
1993
1993
1993
1994
1994
1994
1995
1995
1997
1997
1997
1999
Fleur de Lys
Alexandros
Zaphos
Sherbro
Hyaz
British Trent
Aya
Shoeburyness
Elatma
Ming Fortune
Carina
Spauwer
Bona Fulmar
Mundial Car
Vigdis Knutsen
Ever Decent fuel fuel
68,000 t condensate?
bags pesticides fuel
24,000 t gasoline fuel
90 M14 mines
1,378 t NH4 NO3
38 t sodium chorate oil capsizal, oil
7,000 t gasoline lost oil oiletanker containers toxic

1994:
MUMM signs first oil recovery contract
MUMM obtains first compensation for .be!

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1987: law on the territorial sea
1989: new Bonn Agreement
1990-95: intl. concertation on the EEZ regime
1990-96: continental shelf treaties (FR, UK, NL)
1998: law ratifying UNCLOS
1999: law on the EEZ law on the marine environment:
- Strict liability of the polluter
- ex officio intervention o/b if needed
- compensation for environmental disruptions

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Buying oil combating equipment
Strict liability for remediation

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The driving force behind was Science Policy
Five federal departments have authority
Principles:
- Strict liability of the polluter
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- compensation for environmental disruptions ex officio intervention o/b if needed
2005: Coast Guard Structure

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 to maximize enforcement capabilities to pool resources
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(there is no dedicated response vessel) to co-ordinate in a single structure
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(good sense) to make the Environment central:
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NEBA

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1988: the North Sea Alarm Plan
– who is responsible
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– how to alarm them and when where to go
… but not what to do !
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21.06.2005: oiled birds
21.01.2005: shore cleanup
10.08.2006: operations at sea

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The Fed. Dept. Env. takes the lead
The Navy takes command at sea
MUMM evaluates impact (NEBA)
Step by step development of the intervention

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7 phases:
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 alarm assessment initial counter-mesures choice of strategy intervention follow-up debriefing
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3 scenarios:
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S1: danger of poll.
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S2: confirmed
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S3: major

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Search for information in one location
Site-specific modelling
On scene monitoring
Aerial guidance

role of the scientist
(worse case scenario, scaling, monitoring methodology)

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Mechanical recovery
Chemical dispersion
Mechanical dispersion
Do nothing (+ monitoring)
Requisitions
International assistance operations, methods, communications etc.

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They are sound, professional instruments
But
 they are coined to deploy existing means they are typical
instruments
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(Rampenplan) and
(internl.) require further elaboration

OSC
Support Staff
& Advisors
Public Affairs
Safety
Health
Science
Environment
Technical
Legal
Deputy OSC
Operations Logistics Finance Planning

Lead Agency
OSC
Support Staff
& Advisors
PublicAffairs
Safety
Science
Finance
Logistics
Operations
Area 1
Operations
Area 2
Operations
Area 3
Operations
Area 4
OSC
Deputy OSC
Support Staff
& Advisors
Public
Affairs
Safety
Health
Science
Environme nt
Technical
Legal
Operations Logistics Finance Planning

What do we miss to fulfill the needs of Tiers 2 & 3?
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Strong technical support for the co-ordinators
OSC-AR
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IMO/OPRC contingency organization
 administrative, financial, legal support
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 centralized logistics organizational support for volunteers
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2 oil-recovery vessels (inshore, offshore)

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The alarm procedures are sound
We have a professional approach
We have a potential structure (Coast Guard)
The IMO doctrine should be implemented
The ops plans must be scaled up to Tiers 2 & 3
Technical advice must be made explicit in the plans
The pooling of resources must be made effective to ensure the availability of specialized vessels