OIL SPILL PLANNING Oil spill contingency plans for the offshore oil and gas industry don’t generally explain how the industry manages its oil spill risk, thereby contributing to maintaining the myth that the spill risk associated with offshore oil and gas production is the same as that associated with oil transportation. Instead, many of these oil spill plans try to justify the safety of the oil production operations by referring to the significant stocks of spill response equipment that it, through international membership, can mobilize. The latter only exacerbates the problem. The purpose of oil spill contingency planning, and this goes without saying, is to be prepared for the inevitability of an oil spill. Wherever oil is handled, it can and will get spilled. Adequate arrangements, in terms of equipment, personnel and communications should be in place whenever there is a risk of oil pollution. The purpose of oil spill plans is to document and communicate the oil spill contingency arrangements that are in place. It may be required to describe the arrangements in a number of plans, depending on the number of organizations involved. From this perspective, an oil spill plan needs to describe the oil spill contingency arrangements that are in place and the roles and responsibilities for employing and maintaining these. Oil spill plans may also need to meet specific legislative requirements, like the UK requirements to include a risk based justification for the spill response arrangements that are in place, having a specific layout, and describe specific organizational arrangements. I have also seen risk assessments being included which are aimed at demonstrating that the spill risks are acceptable. This is a good idea when, like is the case for the offshore oil and gas industry, there is considerable apprehension among the general public about the capability of the industry to manage its spill risk. Even when copies of the oil spill plans are not publicly available; the inclusion of such risk assessments helps to communicate the message that spill prevention is the key to minimizing spill risk. The following layout for an oil spill plan would meet all these requirements: Main headings Sub headings Introduction Purpose Plan structure Scope Plan approval Risk assessment Spill potential General containment measures Worst case spill scenarios Risk of a spill to sea Oil spill fate Environmental sensitivities Response Response strategies Response options Response organization External liaison Training Response actions Data directory Forms Contact list Response resources List of approved dispersants Sensitivity maps Information sources Index Although most of these are self explanatory, I would like to share my thoughts on the following elements of oil spill planning: Main headings Sub headings Risk assessment Overall approach General containment measures Spill statistics Oil spill fate modeling OSCP 1 2 3 4 5

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