Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea The Protection of ...

The Italian Marine Pollution EmergencyResponse Capability and Case StudiesDott. Renato GrimaldiGeneral Director - Directorate for Nature and Sea ProtectionItalian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea2° Standing Committee on Economic, Social and Environmental CooperationOil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico: is the Mediterranean ready?Italian Department of Civil ProtectionRome, 18 May 2011

Law n. 979/1982Provisions for the protection of the sea•Provides for the establishment of anational service for the protection ofthe marine environment, coastalsurveillance and for the preventionand control of marine pollution• Provides for an emergencyresponse system for the protection ofthe marine environment and coastalareas in case of accidents

OIL POLLUTION RESPONSE OBJECTIVES Rapid interventions in order to limit damage Removal of the source of pollution Mechanical removal of the spillPOLLUTION RATINGI LEVEL or MEDIUM SEVERITY:pollution which affects only the seanevertheless it can evolve rapidly inthe following phasesII LEVEL or SEVERE: pollutionwhich poses a serious threat to thecoastIII LEVEL or VERY SEVERE:pollution which affects both the seaand coastal areas

LEVELS OF EMERGENCYAccording to the Italian Law, there are two levels of emergency whichcan be declared depending upon the severity of the situationLOCALEMERGENCYcomma 2 dell’art.11 Law31/12/82 n. 979NATIONALEMERGENCYcomma 4 dell’art.11 Law31.12.1982 n. 979

Whenever marine pollution poses a serious threat to the environment andthe economy of the area the local Harbour Master on the basis of theLOCAL EMERGENCY PLAN declaresLOCAL EMERGENCYThe Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea – Protection of Natureand Sea Directorate –activates an overall coordination of the responseThe Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea informs the NationalService of Civil Protection (PROCIVILMARE) that local emergencyhas been declared.

In case the local Harbour Master is unable to control and combat pollutionwith the resources available at local levelThe Plan of the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea is activated.“Emergency response plan for the protection of the marine environmentand of the coastal areas from accidental pollution by oil or other HNS”The Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea is in charge of the overallcoordination of the response.The direction of operations is still under the responsibility of the localHarbour Master

In case local emergency cannot be faced with the means rendered available bythe Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Infrastructures andTransportsThe Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea requires the declaration ofNATIONAL EMERGENCYThe Head of the Civil Protection Department assumes the direction of all theoperations according to the NATIONAL EMERGENCY PLAN

RESPONSE ON LANDThe protection of the coast is entrusted to theRegions and local Authorities

OPRC 90 CONVENTIONRatified by Italian Law 464/98Contracting Parties are required to ensure:• a minimum level of pre-positioned oil spill combating equipment• Mechanisms and arrangements to coordinate the response to anoil pollution incident• A programme of exercises for oil pollution response organizations• A training programme for relevant personnel• Capabilities to mobilise resourcesAntipollution vessels must have on board oil pollution emergencyplans and provide the competent authorities with the relevantpollution reports

Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and SeaThe Protection of Nature and Sea Directorate has established the OperationalCentre responsible for the overall coordination of the response in cases ofpollution or high risk of pollution in cooperation with the Coast GuardHeadquartersAntipollution vessels are provided by CASTALIA ECOLMAR onstand-by basis ready to intervene 24/710 ocean going vessels30 coastal vessels

optimal geographicaldistribution of the fleet increased coverage ofsensitive areas and/or areasat high risk of pollutionOcean going VesselsCoastal VesselsRESPONSE TIME within 12 hours fromthe first alert messagesent by the Ministry forthe Environment in case pollution occurswithin 3 nm from the coast,the first vessel shallintervene within 5 hoursfrom the first alert messagesent by the Ministry for theEnvironment

7 ocean going vessels are equipped with an Oil Slick DetectionRadar which is able to detect oil on the sea surfacePossibility to intervene during night hours and with adverseweather conditions (rain, fog, etc.)Assessment of the area affected by the spill and of the areaswith highest concentration of pollutant

Ocean-going vessel “SANTANGELO”LOA 35,60 mUnrestricted navigationClassification: Tug - RecoilBollard Pull 60 tRapid Deployment Offshore Booms: 400 mInshore Booms : 200 mHigh perfomance Skimmer : min 50 mc/hSweeping arms: 12 m lengthTender with oil recovery capacityPort of Trapani

Coastal vessel “TAGIS”Port of SavonaLOA 23 mCoastal navigationClassification : RecoilRapid deployment inshore Booms: 200 mHigh perfomance Skimmer : min 30 mc/hSweeping arms: 6 m lengthTender with oil recovery capacity

Floating barriers

SKIMMERhttp://www.adriatech.comwww.cleanupoil.com

Standard procedures for oil spill containment1. Lowering a small boat or tender at sea

Standard procedures for oil spill containment2. Inflation of floating barriers

Standard procedures for oil spill containment3. Deployment at sea of floating barriers

Standard procedures for oil spill containment4. Containment operations

The use of dispersants in italian territorial watersis not allowed unless a specific authorization isissued by the Ministry for the EnvironmentChemical products must be approved by theMinistry for the Environment

While response operations are carried out, the Ministry for theEnvironment constantly liaises with the coordinating centre ofCastalia Ecolmar which:Coordinates the activities of antipollution vesselsManages the information system Coordinates the activities of the other facilities on land15 local offices8 warehouses with further antipollution equipment in perfectworking order

Local offices

Warehouses

INFORMATION SYSTEMReal time Web GIS fleet tracking system

Oil spill forecasting model

TASK FORCEIn cases of emergency, a task force of experts is able to promptlyintervene on site in order to support the response team by providingtechnical advice on the following issues: Naval operations in emergency situations Shipbuilding Equipment for marine pollution response Environmetal damage assessmentThe task force is available h24

CASE STUDIES

SARDINIA January 2011Spillage of oil at the terminal of the E-ONpower plant in Porto TorresLOCAL EMERGENCYAntipollution vessels: TIRRENO (ocean-going vessel) and DOLPHIN I (coastal vessel)

Oil and waste recovered:4,5 m 3 of oily mixtures15 mt saturated absorbent booms40 kg saturated rags1 m 3 tar40 kg contaminated wood

Gross tonnage: 2.700 tGross tonnage: 2.700 tlength: 90 m6 March 2008MV MARTI PRIDE runs aground in theshallows of Ugento, 1,3 nm from the coastLOCAL EMERGENCY

Bunker removalMaterial recovered:96,5 m 3 water/oil emulsion

in theMediterranean….LEBANONOctober 2006Jieh power plant (Beirut – Lebanon)Power plantFuel stores at the powerplant were bombed duringthe war, leading to thespillage of oil into the sea

Contamination of the seafloorin front of the power plant

The Italian assistanceS/V TitoPontoonPatrol vesselAircraftAircraft carrier

Manual removal andcollection of the materialin big bagsRemoval of the productthrough suction pumpsOil recovered:42 m 3 of tar products

EXERCISESExercises are carried out on a regular basis in order totrain and update crewsAt international level, in the framework of RAMOGE(sub regional plan between France, Monaco and Italy),specific exercises with simulations of accidents arecarried out once a year

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