Posted: August 26th, 2023

Environmental Damage Risk Assessment and Emergency Scheme of Ship Oil

Environmental Damage Risk Assessment and Emergency Scheme of Ship Oil Spill

Ship oil spills are one of the major threats to the marine ecosystem, as they can cause severe and long-lasting damage to the environment and wildlife. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), oil spills can kill or harm fish, sea birds, marine mammals, turtles, and other organisms, as well as contaminate beaches, wetlands, coral reefs, and other habitats. Therefore, it is essential to have a risk assessment and emergency scheme in place to prevent, mitigate, and respond to ship oil spills.

Risk Assessment of Ship Oil Spill

A risk assessment of ship oil spill is a process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating the potential hazards and consequences of an oil spill incident. The risk assessment can help to:

– Estimate the probability and frequency of oil spill events based on historical data, operational factors, environmental conditions, and human factors.
– Identify the sources and types of oil that could be spilled, such as crude oil, gasoline, bunker oil, or chemicals.
– Assess the fate and behavior of the spilled oil in the marine environment, such as spreading, evaporation, dispersion, emulsification, dissolution, biodegradation, sedimentation, and weathering.
– Evaluate the exposure and vulnerability of the environmental and socio-economic resources that could be affected by the oil spill, such as marine life, habitats, fisheries, tourism, recreation, health, and cultural values.
– Estimate the potential impacts and damages of the oil spill on the environment and society, such as mortality, injury, impairment, loss of function, reduced quality, or reduced value.
– Identify the uncertainties and limitations of the risk assessment methods and data.

The risk assessment can be conducted at different stages of the ship operation cycle, such as planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, decommissioning, or emergency response. The risk assessment can also be used to support decision-making processes for risk management and mitigation measures.

Emergency Scheme of Ship Oil Spill

An emergency scheme of ship oil spill is a plan of action that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in the prevention and response to an oil spill incident. The emergency scheme can help to:

– Establish a clear command and control structure for coordination and communication among the relevant authorities, agencies, organizations, and individuals.
– Define the objectives and strategies for oil spill prevention and response based on the risk assessment results and the available resources and capabilities.
– Identify the equipment and personnel required for oil spill detection, monitoring, containment, recovery, disposal, clean-up, restoration, and compensation.
– Develop the procedures and protocols for notification, activation, mobilization, deployment, operation,
evaluation,
and termination of the oil spill response actions.
– Provide the training and exercises for testing and improving the preparedness and performance of the oil spill response teams.

The emergency scheme can be developed at different levels of jurisdiction and complexity depending on the scale
and severity of the oil spill scenario. The emergency scheme can also be updated regularly to incorporate new information,
lessons learned,
and best practices.

Works Cited

UNEP. “How to Manage the Damage from Oil Spills.” UNEP – UN Environment Programme. 7 Oct. 2021. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/how-manage-damage-oil-spills. Accessed 26 Oct. 2023.

World Economic Forum. “This is How Oil Spills Damage Our Environment.” World Economic Forum. 12 Oct. 2021. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/oil-spill-environment-ocean/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2023.

Marine Insight. “11 Major Oil Spills Of The Maritime World.” Marine Insight. 11 Jan. 2021. https://www.marineinsight.com/environment/15-major-oil-spills-of-the-maritime-world/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2023.