Accidental spills at sea – Risk, impact, mitigation and the need for co-ordinated post-incident monitoring

A fully integrated and effective response to an oil or chemical spill at sea must include a well planned and executed post-incident assessment of environmental contamination and damage. While salvage, rescue and clean-up operations are generally well considered, including reviews and exercises, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2010-06, Vol.60 (6), p.797-803
Main Authors: Kirby, Mark F., Law, Robin J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents
Applied sciences
Chemical spill
Disaster Planning - methods
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Emergency response
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Environment
Environmental Monitoring - methods
Environmental Restoration and Remediation - methods
Exact sciences and technology
Impact assessment
Monitoring
Natural water pollution
Oceans and Seas
Oil spill
Petroleum - toxicity
Pollution
Pollution, environment geology
Risk Assessment - methods
Seawaters, estuaries
Shipping accidents
Ships
Water Pollutants - analysis
Water Pollutants - toxicity
Water treatment and pollution
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Summary:A fully integrated and effective response to an oil or chemical spill at sea must include a well planned and executed post-incident assessment of environmental contamination and damage. While salvage, rescue and clean-up operations are generally well considered, including reviews and exercises, the expertise, resources, networks and logistical planning required to achieve prompt and effective post-spill impact assessment and monitoring are not generally well established. The arrangement and co-ordination of post-incident monitoring and impact assessment need to consider sampling design, biological effects, chemical analysis and collection/interpretation of expert local knowledge. This paper discusses the risks, impacts and mitigation options associated with accidental spills and considers the importance of pre-considered impact assessment and monitoring programmes in the wider response cycle. The PREMIAM (Pollution Response in Emergencies: Marine Impact Assessment and Monitoring; www.premiam.org) project is considered as an example of an improved approach to the planning, co-ordination and conduct of post-incident monitoring.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.03.015