Spill Alert - Issue 24

How prepared are you?

The unpredictability of a spill, the impact it can have on the environment, and on the responsible party’s business, calls for a prudent approach to regularly reassess potential risks and their consequences, and to apply commensurate levels of risk mitigation. But navigating through oil spill preparedness and response can be daunting.

With over 30 years of experience in oil spill response and preparedness globally, Oil Spill Response Ltd. provides peace of mind and expert support through every phase of preparedness from planning, training and exercising, to identifying oil spill equipment requirements and response services. Managing oil spill risk and meeting regulatory requirements can be left in our expert hands.

Strategically positioned in ten locations on six continents, OSRL offers an end-to-end oil spill service and integrated solutions for all of your preparedness and response needs.

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Membership provides expert guidance and support across all tiers of preparedness: • Training of personnel • Range of contingency planning, consultancy and advice • Fully maintained response equipment • Exercises

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All enquiries for membership of the Association, editorial, advertising or attendance at events should be made to:

Mark J Orr, Executive Director, UK and Ireland Spill Association Ltd info@ukirespill.org Tel: 0333 444 1890 Mob: +44 7864 707408 www.ukirespill.org

All enquiries for marine, shoreline and inland accreditation should be made to:

Neil Marson, Executive Director, International Spill Accreditation Scheme Ltd infor@isasaccreditation.org Tel: 0333 444 1891 Mob: +44 7889 714828 www.isasaccreditation.org

WELCOME TO SPILL ALERT WELCOME TO SPILL ALERT

WELCOME

As Autumn draws in one has to reflect on a historic year for the country. With significant events such as the death of HM the Queen Elizabeth whose love and affection was reflected in the outpouring of grief and affection by our nation and the expression of thanks for her service through most people’s lives. The English women winning the Euros and the success of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham have also been notable, and despite the economic and political gloom have lifted the nation’s mood and made us more united.

The pace of activity in the spill world has been unrelenting and speaking from my own company perspective we have been busy with a succession, rather than a flood, of incidents. The Peru oil discharge incident has scaled down but continues; the vessel collision off Gibraltar, incident off Kent, deployments in the Middle East and Asia as well as our usual preparedness and advocacy activities. Talking to others in the industry everyone seems busy. There is a lot of catching up post COVID from our customers, and a lot of equipment replacement going on which the high oil price is helping to fund. The industry is looking at response to changing risks such as Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLFSO) and potentially adapting response measures accordingly.

Most of the marine members of the Association were at Interspill in June. Post COVID concerns about attendance were fortunately not realised. People were keen to meet face to face after such a long period of only meeting via a Zoom or a Teams call, so it was great to be back together again. The conference was excellent and broad ranging which reflects the changes occurring in the industry.

Our own Annual Conference promises to be an interesting event, my last as your Chair. The

committee has helped us move the Association forward into being more relevant to members, more in touch with regulators and generally being more dynamic and responsive to supporting the industry as a whole. This trend will continue as I pass the reins over.

I am therefore delighted to see the Consultation Document on the development of new Career Pathways released. This will unify career pathways for marine, inland and consultancy member around independent certification from the Institution of Environmental Science. This is a positive move for the industry.

The work of the Plastic Pollution Working Group is exciting and should result in a Good Practice Guide for Managing Microplastic Spill Incidents being released early in 2023. It has been encouraging to see members collaborate so openly and seamlessly on this. The knowledge the Association members have is world leading and when we collaborate together the results are greater than the sum of the parts.

Similarly the formation of the Emerging and Future Risks Working Group with the Environment Agency, Fire and Rescue Service and when necessary UK Health Security Agency should lead to spill response plans being collectively agreed for emerging and future products coming into the marketplace. This should make response safer and bring much closer the interaction between all Agencies involved in incidents. I hope the devolved nations join this group as its work rolls out.

I would like to express my thanks to the Board members for making my time as Chair so productive and enjoyable and I wish my successor Mark Shepherd, similar fortune.

I suspect however that I shall not be far away as the Executive Director has told me the Board of UKEireSpill is like Hotel California – you can check out but never leave!

Stay safe out there and see you at the Conference!

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OS35 - OIL SPILL BY GIBRALTAR PORT NOW UNDER CONTROL, WRECK REMOVAL BY MAY 23

winds. However as the weather changed so did the response and the decision was taken to sink the forward part of the vessel onto the seabed.

UK and Ireland Spill Association members are involved in this incident. Ambipar Response, with support from Polyeco, have been working on behalf of the vessel owners and Oil Spill Response on behalf of the Port of Gibraltar.

On 4 October the Captain of the Port of Gibraltar gave the owners and insurers of the of OS35 until the end of May 2023 for its removal.

While the method of removal is still in the planning stage, the Captain of the Port order set a timeline, with some allowances for weather delays, for the shipowner and insurers for the wreck’s removal and allows them to proceed with the tendering process. Failure to remove the wreck within the schedule would constitute a violation of sections 179E and 179F of Part VIIIA of the Merchant Shipping Act.

On Monday 29 August a bulk carrier suffered significant damage and partially sunk following a collision with an LNG carrier off the coast of Gibraltar.

A survey inspection of the bulk carrier, the OS 35, confirmed a gash amidships measuring approximately 10 meters by 4 meters on the ship’s starboard side. Its bulbous bow is submerged approximately 1.2 meters in the sandy seabed.

All crew members initially remained on board whilst the ship remained stable. However on 31 August it was reported that the vessel had started to split in two, albeit the parts had yet to separate. Crew were removed and wait in Gibraltar. The vessel remains at anchor off Catalan Bay on the east side of the Iberian Peninsula, however the collision took place in the Bay of Gibraltar/Algeciras, on the west side of the peninsula, as the OS 35 was departing.

The LNG carrier, Adam LNG, which was unladen, had no significant damage but was dented on its bulbous bow. The vessel suffered no water ingress.

Approximately 400 meters of boom were deployed around the vessel in the event of an oil spill, the port authority said.

“A specialist team of marine salvors from the Netherlands conducted a full on-site assessment on their arrival,” the update said. “The Government is advised that weather conditions are forecast to be good in the coming days, which will assist in operations moving forward.”

The OS 35 was carrying a cargo of steel bars and has over 400 tonnes of fuel on board all of which was eventually removed by 6 September. However, some loss to the environment occurred which impacted temporarily beaches in Gibraltar and on the Spanish peninsula. There were also reports of oiled wildlife

As a result of salvor and responder efforts, the Gibraltar government scaled down he incident from a “major incident” to permit more activities in the port. The focus reverted to ensuring the vessel stayed afloat whilst other contaminants were removed.

In this they were helped initially by light

“Whilst the precise methodology for the removal of the OS 35 and its contents has not yet been established, this preliminary schedule is an important development in the operation. It confirms the intentions of the owners and their insurers to comply with the deadline and conditions specified in the Wreck Removal Notice, and allows them to proceed with the important Invitation to Tender process to identify and select a contractor with the expertise necessary to safely and efficiently remove the wreck in the safest way possible and in a manner that protects the marine environment as far as possible,” said Captain of the Port, John Ghio.

The wreck removal will take place in three phases:

The Caretaker Phase, which involves security, caretaking and the mitigation of pollution;

The Invitation to Tender Phase, which will select a contractor with a track record for safely and successfully carrying out similar wreck removal operations;

The final Wreck Removal Phase, which is expected to take approximately 6 months with allowances made for weather disturbances, and is expected to be complete by 30th May 2023.

The FSO Safer is a 45 year old oil storage vessel anchored 4.8 nautical miles off the Yemen coastline since 1988 where prior to the escalation of the conflict in 2015, it had been receiving, storing and exporting crude oil from the Marib oil fields. Due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen, all production and export operations related to FSO SAFER have been suspended, but an estimated 150,000 MT (nearly 1.1 million barrels) of crude oil remain onboard. This corresponds to four times the amount spilled during the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989, even though circumstances differ greatly.

The FSO has not been inspected or maintained since 2015 and has been out of class since 2016, leading to

serious concerns about its integrity. It is understood there is currently no oil leaking from the unit, but it is considered that the risk of an oil spill from the FSO SAFER is increasing as its structure, equipment and operating systems continue to deteriorate.

As time passes the risk of a spill increases.

On 11 May this year the IMO announced a plan for the transfer of all products on board FSO Safer and held a pledging event to raise the $144 million that could secure the vessel of which $80 million is to transfer all products and therefore prevent a possible spillage. To date $66 million has been raised leaving a shortfall of $14 million.

leads UN efforts on the Safer.

“Less than $14 million is now needed to reach the $80 million target to start the emergency operation to transfer oil from the Safer to a safe vessel,” said Gressly’s communications advisor Russell Geekie.

“We’re deeply concerned. If the FSO Safer continues to decay, it could break up or explode at any time,” he told reporters in Geneva, via video-link from Sanaa.

“The volatile currents and strong winds from October to December will only increase the risk of disaster. If we don’t act, the ship will eventually break apart and a catastrophe will happen. It’s not a question of if, but when.”

He said the result would potentially be the fifth largest oil spill from a tanker in history, with the clean-up costs alone reaching $20 billion.

Lets hope this pledging accelerates as the risk increases every day that passes

For more information

https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/ HotTopics/Pages/FSO-SAFER-oil-spill-risk. aspx

PERU OIL SPILL – ITS CONSEQUENCE IS MUCH WIDER THAN SOUTH AMERICA

In the early hours of 15 January 2022, a rupture in an underwater pipeline sent crude oil gushing into the ocean from the Italian-flagged tanker Mare Doricum which was discharging from an offshore buoy linked to La Pampilla, Peru’s biggest oil refinery, just north of the capital, Lima.

As the state, the refinery and tanker owners played the blame game, damage to the region’s ecosystems continued to spread. The black slick, pushed north by wind and currents, tarred 25 beaches, polluted three protected marine reserves, and covered an area of about 106 sq km (40 sq miles) – the size of Paris.

It wreaked destruction on one of the world’s richest marine ecosystems; killing fish and invertebrates, leaving more than 1,000 seabirds coated with oil, several hundred dead, and a toll on marine mammals such as endangered sea otters, according to Peru’s national service of state-protected natural areas.

The catastrophe for one of the world’s richest marine ecosystems, and at least 2,000 coastal fishers who depend on it, has raised the question of how environmental crimes should be punished during a time

of climate crisis and catastrophic wildlife loss, as the oil firm, the captain of the tanker and the Peruvian state all blame one another.

Peru accuses Repsol of reacting late, launching its contingency plan for the spill the day after it occurred. This is denied by the company, which said in a statement that it “activated its contingency plan and communicated the facts to the relevant authorities … the same night as the ship’s accident”.

Under Peru’s strict liability law, Repsol is ultimately responsible for the spill, said Manuel Pulgar Vidal, the country’s former

environment minister and now global leader of climate and energy at WWF. But Peru has a poor record of holding big business to account for pollution, he says. “Expectations for getting [decent] compensation are very low.”

We have the laws, we have good oversight agencies – the problem is enforcement Manuel Pulgar Vidal, former Peruvian environment minister

Four Repsol officials, including the company’s Peru president, Jaime Fernández-Cuesta, have been barred from leaving the country while a state prosecutor investigates whether the oil company properly maintained its system

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of underwater pipelines. News reports showed photos of the ruptured pipes covered in rust.

While the oil company initially said a tsunami created by the eruption of a volcano in Tonga had triggered the spill, it later blamed the Mare Doricum, which it claims shifted its position during the oil discharge, allegations which the tanker company has denied.

In mid August Peru’s consumer protection agency started legal proceedings against Repsol. The civil lawsuit seeks $3bn (£2.54bn) for environmental damage and $1.5bn (£1.27bn) for damages to locals.

Repsol has denied responsibility. The company initially said the spill was caused by “sudden and extraordinary anomalous waves produced by the volcanic eruption in Tonga”. However, it later blamed the oil tanker.

A Peruvian judge admitted the $4.5bn lawsuit by Indecopi against Repsol, meaning the case will go to court.

“We have not yet been notified of the court’s acceptance of the complaint, and we do not know the details of the acceptance,” a spokesperson for the firm told the BBC.

“We reiterate that the causes are still under investigation, but that the preliminary findings indicate that it was caused by an uncontrolled movement by the Mare Doricum vessel while it was unloading crude at the terminal.”

“Even so, Repsol has used all means at its disposal to contain, clean, and remediate

the coastline, assist the communities in the area, and rescue and attend to the fauna affected by the oil spill,” the spokesperson added.Earlier this year, President Pedro Castillo described the spill as “one of the biggest ecocides ever on our coasts and seas”. Hundreds of fishermen and hospitality workers also lost income due to the disaster, according to the Peruvian environment ministry. Local fisherman staged protests because they were unable to go out to sea and work because of the spill. Indecopi has alleged that the ecological damage is continuing to affect fishermen and the environment.

“We are looking to get compensation for the affected population... that lives within 150km of contaminated coast,” said Julian Palacin, the head of Indecopi, in a statement.

In May, Repsol said the clean-up would cost the firm $150m (£127m).

Professor in geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, Stuart Hazeldine said that communities and countries “have a right to expect safe transport of oil and gas”

“There is no established market to buy a clean beach or a seabird colony - inevitably large and financially wellresourced oil companies can deploy cash, lobbyists and legal teams to delay and defocus the blame game away from their responsibility,” he said.

“This will be a contest on the strength of Peru’s legal system to enforce environmental justice onto an unwilling and well-resourced multinational.”

“The final settlement may be influenced as much by Repsol’s valuation of its own reputation and future permissions to operate globally,” he added.

Melissa Moore, head of UK policy at Oceana, a charity campaigning for ocean protection, said she was pleased to hear the case would go to court. “This damaging oil spill wreaked havoc on two protected biodiversity areas: the Ancón Reserved Zone and the Pescadores Islets - home to iconic and legally protected species such as the Humboldt penguin and sea otter,” she said.

How Peru manages this legal action will influence how much control Governments can exert on oil companies when they pollute. Public sympathy is against Big Oil but government’s know that they need their hydrocarbon based products to keep the lights on and to run efficient economies.

The war In Ukraine and Russian use of oil and gas as a political asset has bought Big Oil time and in effect delayed the transition to net zero. However, as economies move to net zero their value decreases other than as an investor in new greener technologies.

If Peru is successful in its claim, it will have and effect on Repsol, their claim Repsol posted a net income of €2.499bn (£2.11bn) last year - sixteen times the clean-up cost but just under 50% of the cost of the claim!

Whatever is decided it sets a precedent for future action against Big Oil for environmental damage.

MV X-PRESS PEARL

– ONE YEAR ON

A year since the sinking of the cargo ship the X-Press Pearl, Sri Lanka continues to clean its beaches of the plastic pellets that the vessel was carrying, and still trying to claim compensation for the environmental damage it wrought.

An expert committee investigating the extent of damage to the country’s marine and coastal environment has now concluded the disaster to be the worst in terms of chemical and plastic pollution of the sea. That’s according to Ajith de Alwis, co-chair of the X-Press Pearl damage assessment committee and a professor of chemical and process engineering at the University of Moratuwa.

The committee has submitted its assessment report to the Attorney General’s Office for use in claiming compensation from the Singapore-based operators of the ship.

“However, the report is only the first edition of the damage assessment, and further assessments would continue based on the monitoring,” De Alwis told Mongabay.

Maritime law expert Dan Malika Gunasekera said Sri Lankan authorities have taken a long time to file for compensation and are reluctant to go through years of strenuous legal battles in international courts. Sri Lanka has obtained an interim payment of $3.7 million in damages, but the country could claim as much as $5 billion to $7 billion, according to Gunasekera.

With Sri Lanka currently mired in the worst economic crisis in the country’s history, those higher numbers would prove a much-needed injection of foreign currency. But further delays would diminish the cash-strapped island’s chance of getting sufficient compensation for the environmental damage, Gunasekera told Mongabay.

WORST PLASTIC MARINE POLLUTION EVENT

X-Press Pearl was carrying 1,486 containers when it caught fire off Colombo on May 20, 2021, and began sinking. Eighty-one of the containers were labeled hazardous, and the cargo included 25 metric tons of nitric acid — a key ingredient in the production of explosives, and touted as a possible factor for the fire. There were several explosions, and it took more than a week to bring the fire under control. Attempts to tow the vessel to deeper waters failed, and the freighter finally sank on June 2, 2021, a few kilometers off Sri Lanka’s western coast. The ship was also carrying 400 containers of nurdles, the plastic pellets from which all manufactured plastic goods are made. The spill of the more than 50 billion pellets made this the worst plastic marine pollution event in the world, with the pellets quickly spreading along the beaches of Sri Lanka’s western coast.

The government carried out an initial cleanup of the beaches, but subsequent cleaning was done by volunteers like the Pearl Protectors, a youth organization.

“We had 28 major cleaning operations on main beaches and could collect as much as 1,500 kilograms [3,300 pounds] of nurdles,” said Muditha Katuwawala, coordinator of the Pearl Protectors. But more nurdles keep washing up on the beaches, and with the island currently experiencing the southwest monsoon, nurdles that had initially sunk to the seabed or were trapped in underwater structures such as corals have been washed free and are making landfall. “So it needs to be continuous work” cleaning up the beaches, Katuwawala said. The Pearl Protectors, like other volunteer organizations around the program, are suffering from the economic crisis. The cost of organizing has doubled in the span of the last few months, with inflation hitting a record 39% in May. The country has defaulted on loan payments for the first time, while the local currency, the rupee, has nosedived against the U.S. dollar.

SALVAGE OPERATION

As for the wreck of the X-Press Pearl, it’s now being salvaged by the Shanghai Salvage Company (SSC), which was handed the task by the ship’s owners, Singaporebased X-Press Feeders. In a statement, X-Press Feeders said the salvage operation includes round-the-clock monitoring to deal with debris or other pollutants that may get dislodged during the operation. It also said regular water sampling will be carried out at the site, and that any oil spills will be responded to immediately.

According to SSC, the X-Press Pearl’s hull has essentially broken in half, so the wreck will be recovered as two separate sections. Operations were suspended at the end of April due to rough seas caused by the southwest monsoon.

Cleanly separating the two halves of the hull is due to start in November, after the monsoon, while the actual lifting is expected to begin in February 2023. The final phase, to be completed by September 2023, will see the wreck completely dismantled, recycled, and disposed of.

Salvation work is underway to raise the wreck of the X-Press Pearl and dismantle it. Image courtesy of X-Press Feeders.

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LACK OF BASELINE STUDIES

Terney Pradeep Kumara, a marine biologist who previously headed Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Agency (MEPA), said it’s important to collect data during the salvation operation that can serve as evidence linking the environmental pollution to the X-Press Pearl. In the aftermath of the ship accident, marine biologists noted an unusually high number of sea turtle mortalities, which they suspect was the result of the pollution, but for which they currently lack definitive evidence.

‘Not having a baseline of the environmental conditions has been one of the biggest challenges in doing this environmental assessment,” said Prasanthi Gunawardene, the other co-chair of the X-Press Pearl damage assessment committee. There were about 30 different subcommittees with members from different fields, and getting input from different government agencies in the monitoring process was a challenge, Gunawardene told Mongabay.

PORT OF REFUGE

This incident highlights how the attitude to ports of refuge has changed over time. MV X-Press Pearl loaded some containers containing Nitric Acid when it departed the port of Hazira on 15 May. Arriving off Colombo on 19 May. However a container loaded at Jebel Ali was leaking nitric acid, and the company and the ship had requested both Hamad Port in Qatar and Hazira Port in Gujarat to allow it to be offloaded, but permission was not granted.[18]

According to X-Press Feeders, the requests were denied as “there were no specialist facilities or expertise immediately available to deal with the leaking acid”, and the vessel proceeded on its planned journey to Colombo.[19]

The ship reached Colombo on the night of 19 May and was anchored in the outer harbor awaiting a berth. The ship did not declare an emergency for the cargo acid leak. On 20 May the ship’s agents requested a re-working of the container. Harbour Master Nirmal de Silva said as a maritime hub, Colombo had the expertise to help. The vessel then issued its first report of a fire, which the crew had put out using its on-board system. [20]

The disaster at sea could have been avoided had either port offloaded the container. Why did they refuse? And what were their obligations in these circumstances?

It’s unlikely their actions will be examined in the official investigation, which will focus on the causes of the fire and actions of the crew. However, these answers reveal the hugely problematic conditions of shipping operations.

Both ports claimed they lacked the manpower and equipment to discharge the leaking container. However it is hard to imagine such recently built, state of the art, and well-resourced facilities lacking the means to deal with a nitric acid leak.

Ports may be reluctant to accept hazardous vessels because they lack emergency and contingency plans and preparedness. It’s one thing to adopt hazard and environmental policies, but quite another to actually implement them. This would require providing the training, and maintaining the necessary equipment, to address potential threats.

Port services are just as competitive as shipping companies. Ports aim to maximize the moving of containers through terminals. This makes the physical investigation of the contents of containers impossible, and any processing delay unaffordable.

Nevertheless, efficiency and profitability don’t mean quality services should be

sacrificed. There are three ways to begin addressing this issue:

Rigorous enforcement of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods regulations, which control their handling and stowage

Better training for supply chain workers who apply these regulations

Stronger sanctions issued by states where cargoes originate, and by shipping companies.

The investigation into the X-Press Pearl disaster will reveal whether the crew sought a priority berth for shelter while the ship was engulfed in flames at Colombo port.

Arguably, ships in distress have traditionally enjoyed the “freedom of ports” to seek shelter in the territorial waters of nations if they are facing the total loss of the vessel and its cargo, or the lives of its crew.

But states may deny ships entry if, for instance, they pose a serious threat to the environment or the safety or security of its people. Given the increasing size of vessels and the uncertain nature of the threat they pose, refusal of entry is the norm.

In 2003, following several high-profile incidents, the International Maritime Organization adopted resolutions creating “places of refuge” for vessels in distress.

These are sheltered waters, and not ports with the infrastructure to counteract serious problems on board. So while refuge may address the threat of fire, it does not avert the far greater risk of environmental pollution.

Places of refuge have assuaged some concerns, but they are not an international obligation. They also tend to be concentrated in developed maritime regions, and are virtually nonexistent where they’re most needed — where substandard vessels carrying illicit dangerous cargoes ply their trade.

It’s important we do not let the X-Press Pearl settle into the background as another spectacular story about a ship ablaze at sea. It should spark change, and serve as the cautionary exemplar of what happens with alarming frequency when we want our goods cheap and now.

VIKOMA LAUNCHES IT’S PARAVANE FOR USE DEPLOYING BOOMS

flexibility is a useful feature for buyers by keeping the investment cost down, with one piece of equipment being easily convertible to suit the size of boom being used, rather than buying two separate sizes of paravane.

As well as saving money, this is an environmentally friendly solution keeping the carbon footprint down as less materials are used.

Vikoma offer three models; Paravane Maxi, Paravane Midi and Paravane Mini.

Vikoma has launched a new paravane for deploying booms and advancing skimmers such as it’s Fasflo system. Vikoma’s paravane is a powerful and versatile tool. In a traditional open water boom deployment it replaces the tow boat, enabling a single vessel to deploy a boom system.

There are other paravanes on the market, however Vikoma’s has a unique feature as it is a modular system allowing easy conversion between it’s Midi and Maxi versions (medium and large). This

Paravane Maxi has a twin vane arrangement and is ideally suited to medium to large boom systems in open water. Paravane Midi has a single vane arrangement and is suited to small to medium boom systems in rivers and sheltered waters.

In a river deployment, Paravane Mini can be used alongside personnel to manually deploy a boom system without the need for a boat. This functionality minimises personnel and reduces costs making it ideally suited to training exercises as well as oil spill response.

DESMI, A DANISH MANUFACTURER OF PUMPING SYSTEMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EQUIPMENT, SOLD TO ONE EQUITY PARTNERS

DESMI, a Danish manufacturer of pumps, pumping systems, environmental cleaning equipment and related products and services, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to sell a majority share to One Equity Partners (“OEP”), a middle market private equity firm. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1834 and headquartered in Nørresundby, Denmark, DESMI provides pumping solutions to end-markets including marine and offshore, industrial, utility, and defense and fuel. The company also provides environmental solutions for oil spill response, seaweed collection and cleaning waterways. DESMI has global operations across 20 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Africa and

employs nearly 1,000 people. DESMI’s pumps and systems are sold to more than 150 countries through a network of subsidiaries and distributors across six continents.

“We look forward to a strong partnership with CEO Henrik Sørensen and his management team,” said Johann-Melchior von Peter, Senior Managing Director at OEP. “We plan to utilize OEP’s deep industrial sector expertise to help DESMI accelerate its growth trajectory and further diversify its end-markets to strengthen the business.”

“It was high on our agenda to find a new owner who wants to continue our growth strategy within flow technology and extend DESMI’s brand. OEP wants exactly that, and I am pleased to welcome them as a new majority shareholder of our great company,” says Sørensen. “After nearly 190 years of operations, we look forward to entering our next stage of growth with the support of our new partner.

OEP is a firm that shares our vision for the evolution of DESMI and has a long-standing track record for building market-leading industrial companies.”

“We see significant potential to leverage DESMI’s global infrastructure and comprehensive value chain to consolidate a fragmented industry and enter new, attractive product segments,” said Marc Lindhorst, Principal at OEP.

The acquisition is expected to be completed in the second half of 2022 and is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

About DESMI

Founded in 1834 as one of Denmark’s oldest companies, DESMI specializes in the development, manufacturing, sale and service of pumps, pumping solutions and environmental cleaning equipment sold to more than 150 countries via a network of subsidiaries and distributors on six continents. DESMI is active in the marine & offshore, industrial, utility, defense, fuel and environmental service end-markets with global operations across 20 countries. In 2021 DESMI achieved revenue of 1,275 billion DKK and a profit before tax of 122,8 million DKK, More details available at: www.desmi.com.

SUCCESSFUL ORACLE ENVIRONMENTAL DEMO AND OPEN DAY

On 6th October this year, Oracle Environmental Experts held a Demonstration Day to showcase their services and response and remediation equipment. The event which was held at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, also included a mini- conference with speakers talking on subjects including sustainable remediation, pollution prevention, chemical oxidation, hydrocarbon analysis and emerging contaminants. Services offered by Oracle that were showcased at the event included the following:

There were over 80 attendees at the event including representatives from construction companies, loss adjusters, environmental consultants, remediation contractors, pollution prevention experts, pump suppliers, environment managers, Environment Agency representatives, waste contractors, hire companies and the International Spill Accreditation Scheme.

The feedback after the event has been fantastic and makes the effort it took to put on the event worthwhile, and we may well look to host similar events in the future so watch this space!

If you would like copies of any of the presentations from the event, please contact Jon Burton on jburton@oracleenvironmental.com

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY OFF TO A FLYING START

Crawford’s recently launched Environmental Consultancy is already gaining strong market traction, as Matthew Renshaw, head of Environmental Consultancy, explains.

Environmental Consultancy has hit the ground running with a number of environmental projects already being delivered within budget, ahead of schedule and within the first six months of operation. Since our launch in the UK in March, we have supported more than 28 percent of the Crawford Environmental claim intake, of which approximately 63 percent have been closed within 50 working days. On average CEC’s proportionate and customer-focused approach, has saved between 9 percent and 16 percent in claim costs, therefore highlighting the efficacy of our model and the true value in efficiency.

Crawford Environmental Consultancy continues to provide a support resource to our environmental adjusting unit (as well as other Crawford adjusting teams) and in order to help them efficiently deal with claims that are often rapidly evolving situations. The rapid response and strategic decision-making from Crawford Environmental Consultancy has helped to dramatically reduce contamination impact as well as the potential for financial and reputational damage.

During the last six months, Crawford Environmental Consultancy has assisted other adjusting teams across the Crawford business by providing rapid and meaningful technical advice on issues such as waste management, environmental legislation/regulation and contamination arising from incidents such as fire and flooding. We have also been working closely with a number of regulators in regard to pollution incidents.

Early indications are that this new team is realising the vision set out at the beginning of this journey and our radical environmental claims model is proving its value to all stakeholders. Most importantly, our customers have benefited from the offering, with 10-outof-10 satisfaction ratings received on over 70 percent of claims. Customers will continue to be our focus who are the heart of everything we do.

Crawford continues to invest in the expansion of Crawford Environmental Consultancy, with another four highly experienced environmental consultants joining the team over the next six weeks. Having just started with one consultant, the team will soon rise to eight consultants by the early autumn. We will be actively recruiting over the winter, with a view to expanding the team further during 2023.

Our expanding team is now serving an ever-increasing geographic area of the

UK, plus Northern Ireland and Wales. We are currently providing technical support to all areas of Crawford including Environmental; Property; Major & Complex loss; Agricultural; Liability; Engineering; Marine; and Construction teams. We have also expanded our regional supplier resource to provide an even more agile, responsive, and costeffective service.

Over the next few months, we will be piloting some new technology which we hope will not only reduce costs and timescales even further, but also provide all stakeholders with a pioneering product that could possibly transform the environmental claims market. Watch this space!

Whilst it’s been a very busy and productive start for Crawford Environmental Consultancy, we will not rest on our laurels and continue to strive for technical excellence, continue to demonstrate the true value in efficiency and deliver the very best customer service.

Matthew Renshaw is a chartered geo-environmental consultant with over 22 years of experience in the environmental sector and specializes in geological modelling, environmental risk assessments, site investigation techniques, environmental sustainability and land quality assessments.

CEO INSIGHTS – KAREN LUCAS

MANAGING DIRECTOR VIKOMA

Vikoma have been in the industry as long as there has been one, formed initially by BP who sought solutions to managing oil spills following the loss of the Torrey Canyon in 1967.

Following this significant incident, BP were under considerable pressure to deliver spill management, containment and recovery solutions to ensure they were better prepared than they had been for this incident.

They created a ‘brains trust’ in Sunbury to rapidly develop developing solutions. Whilst some of this was spill management, a lot of effort went into spill solutions to contain and recover lost product. A product development and trials team were established to work with the spill response and management side of the development teams.

location as on the Isle of Wight there existed experienced trades and skills which could be applied to the manufacture of booms and skimmers with easy access to the water for trials. In 1976 this became BP Vikoma Limited and then Vikoma International Limited in 1979. The name Vikoma allegedly originates from the North Sea market and Vikings combing the seas, but there are other theories too.

Today Karen Lucas, its MD/CEO, lead a business with 60 employees and around £10 million sales, based in one purpose built modern factory in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Vikoma has an extensive facility manufacturing most of its equipment in house with very little now subcontracted and has a high level of expertise within the knowledge base of its employees many of whom have worked in the business for many decades.

As the 1991/2 recession hit, Conder Group struggled and was eventually placed into administration. However Karen was retained by the Administrators and helped them recover as much from the assets and debtor book as they could. However difficult this was it provided valuable learning as parts of the business were sold off to realise best value from its assets.

Following an interim role at Meridian Broadcasting while she finished her ACCA exams, she went to Beckenham Ductwork as Company Accountant working with the former Finance Director from Conder Group plc leading the finance function of this mid-size business.

From this initiative, eventually, Oil Spill Response Ltd were formed to provide response and spill management and manufacture of the containment and recovery equipment commenced which soon moved to Wootton Bridge Industries on the Isle of Wight. This was an ideal

Karen exudes energy and passion for the business she leads and is also a shareholder. A qualified accountant brought up near Southampton in Hampshire she spurned the traditional route of A Levels and university as she wanted to get real work experience while studying. She started at Eastleigh College to do an OND in Business and Finance which included a 6 month industrial placement at IBM, and then after a year in accounting practice went into the finance department of Conder Group plc, a successful national construction group. Whilst there she developed a wide range of experience culminating in appointment as company accountant of their fabrication division, Conder Fabrication. This experience helped her gain her ACCA which she had done by day release at Southampton Institute of Higher Education.

Karen’s strategy to gain hands on work experience while qualifying paid off and at age 26 she joined Strainstall Group, a group who manufacture specialist load and stress monitoring systems for the oil and gas industry, as Finance Director. These systems keep oil rigs and pipelines safe, measure load on critical lifting equipment, anchors and risers. It was a £2M t/o, 50 employee business. During this time, Karen married and had a son. Strainstall was part of the TT Electronics Group plc and deemed to be non-core and put up for sale. In 2000 although timing was not ideal as her son had just been born, along with the Managing Director, Karen seized the opportunity to lead a Management Buyout, raise finance and become a shareholder. With supportive funders, a few acquisitions, coupled with better sales and marketing the business grew well to over 200 employees and £25M sales. During this time, it attracted interest from larger businesses in the industry and was sold to James Fisher Group PLC in 2006. Karen stayed with the business as it integrated into the James Fisher Group and continued to grow. Being owned by a PLC, does

place a lot of additional management on Directors and the senior management team a lot of which falls on the Financial Director as financial reporting is essential.

By 2011 Karen felt it was time for a change and became UK Director of Finance and Administration of Liz Earle Beauty, which had 300 employees on the Isle of Wight, the company’s home, with 300 on the mainland. It was an interesting business that had been purchased from its founders by Avon in 2010. It manufactured high quality beauty products, with a strong ethical and sustainable background. However, it sells in a cluttered market so requires a strong sales effort and sophisticated marketing which includes a strong online presence. She joined as UK Director of Finance and Administration, a role that soon grew to Global Director of Finance.

While loving the Liz Earle products, Karen’s heart remained in manufacturing and engineering and she was thrilled when approached to join Vikoma by the two owners of the business who wanted someone with her experience to restructure the business and take the business on it’s next journey for investment and new ownership.

Vikoma was at the time a busy company split over two locations on the Isle of Wight. Having moved in 2010 into a new multimillion pound purpose-built design and manufacturing facility adjacent to the River Medina in East Cowes. However, as the Deepwater Horizon incident occurred the company was flat out to meet demand. It was a good time for the business, like all in the industry.

Various potential investors emerged, but Karen wanted to be sure of the

right partner to suit the culture of the business who understood its ethos and the important role it plays in the local community and to protect it’s location and team on the Isle of Wight. Consequently in 2015 the company undertook a management buy-out led by Karen and the Sales Director Paul Rayner with the support of Agathos, a family backed investment firm. At the same time Vikoma retained it’s banking relationship and funding with Santander.

The combination of new investors and an experienced and ambitious management team has helped modernize and transform Vikoma. Talking with both Karen and Paul, it’s clear that their investors, who bring a helicopter view of the business, provide them with a useful sounding board and source of support as the business grows as well as access to capital to invest in the future. An important feature of the Vikoma-Agathos relationship is an alignment of both business objectives and values. Agathos is a family firm with strong principles and from the start of the relationship, the Agathos team has taken pride in their investment in Vikoma and in the principles Vikoma follows.

Vikoma has spent the last 7 years growing and developing. Steady and profitable growth has enabled the business to invest in new products, new people, improved marketing and subsequently sales. They managed to weather the storm of COVID by maintaining manufacturing as an ‘COVID free island’ within the business. Everyone else worked remotely but with regular lateral flow testing, manufacturing continued pretty well uninterrupted to the benefit of the business and its clients.

Brexit was not too big a challenge for Vikoma as it was already accustomed to exporting worldwide with the paperwork and challenges that brings. Opportunities have been taken since the pandemic and Brexit and the Engineering and Operations teams have analysed their supply chain and risk managed each component and decided to limit risk by bringing in house more of the manufacturing capability with investment in new manufacturing equipment and building stock to ensure continuity of production and therefore supply to customers. This enables the company to have increased resilience should shocks to the supply chain arise in the future.

These changes have led to increased manufacturing technology but also optimization of the manufacturing space and a move to more flexible manufacturing.

Staff, most of whom live on the Isle of Wight, have decades of experience with the business and therefore a lot of knowledge. This has enabled the company to become a very versatile manufacturer with good delivery times as well as the ability to manufacture some items for stock in any lulls in production that reduce customer delivery times which helps the sales team win business.

The company has also broadened its range with products tailored for inland spills, smaller spills and to suit recovery of lighter fuels and focus on booms that can protect infrastructure. It has also increased its focus and capabilities for industrial applications such as refineries and 24/7 oil separation from waste outputs.

Karen believes that Vikoma is well placed to take advantage of the opportunities a strong oil price gives to oil companies to invest in their resilience and therefore in spill prevention, containment and recovery. The expanded senior management team have settled well into their roles giving more scope for expansion of the business and to seize manufacturing opportunities that keep the company busy.

They continue to recruit and support their local community through careers events at schools and colleges and apprentice schemes. As a Director of the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, as well as giving back and supporting the business community, Karen gets a feel of how local businesses are managing the assaults on the economy the country is seeing. She can see Vikoma is well placed for future growth particularly as it exports so much of its production and is now well placed to continue its current period of growth. Karen is also a mentor for Santander’s Women business leaders program.

She is certainly enjoying her time at Vikoma and when pushed on her future was keen to stress that she feels there is more potential to grow Vikoma and continue the great success that the business has already enjoyed for many decades.

KAREN’S CEO INSIGHTS

IF LOOKING FOR AND WORKING WITH PRIVATE EQUITY:

Ensure goals for the business are aligned and spend time exploring and committing to these Very open and honest communications Total transparency Seek support whenever needed Invest time in developing trust

INSIGHTS FOR SENIOR MANAGEMENT:

Work life balance essential for employees and senior managers – people do not work well if worn out! Value experience within the business and ensure it is accessed and employees feel they can contribute their knowledge to improve the business of which they play a key role.

Access to accurate and timely financial information is essential to running any business whatever its size. Must understand the nuts and bolts of the business through spending time in each department of it so one knows how to make it work easier and ‘take its pulse’.

Do take measured chances and do not rigidly stick to a fixed plan Invest time in being well organised

PASTIMES:

Work hard, play hard and get as much out of life as you can.

Walking locally on the Isle of Wight

Travel – Karen loves sampling local foods and wines – eat where the locals eat!

Travel is a great way to recharge and it broadens the horizon and also makes us appreciate how fortunate we are

Spending time with family as one never knows how long they will be there.

COVID impacted so many.

2022 started well with visits to the inland response companies who were either undertaking the accreditation process for the first time or completing their re-accreditation. The process for both activities is the same, with companies undertaking an assessment of their capability to deliver the service from their chosen categories. The ISAS Assessors resumed physical site visits following the lifting of all COVID19 restrictions., allowing face to face accreditations to be delivered. Recently our Senior Assessor (Land) as being with site visits in the Southwest of England and Wales, these visits are classified as validation/capability assessments to enable verification of the stage 1 and 2 process, which is a desk-based study, with a comprehensive question-set forming the basis of those stages. The accreditation process is a three-part

RAISING THE STANDARD ISAS UPDATE

includes all legal requirements placed on the company; training which staff have gone through and/or will be going through in relation to the categories applied for; confirmation of the number of bases from which the company operates; list of equipment held at each base to allow the company to carry out the work referred to in each category; copies of any licences or permits which are required to hold; copies of any risk assessments, both generic and site specific; copies of all relevant ISO certificates and capability statement in full for each base location detailing their capability for all foundation requirements and all categories of response they have applied to be accredited for.

PART 2 conducted using Online Teams meetings, this is the most interesting part for both the companies and the assessor. Comments like there is more to this than we thought, its not difficult but its not easy either. Part 2 creates a learning phase (on both sides company and assessor).

evidence to support the responses to the questions raised in stages 1 and 2. Companies who recently hosted a visit by the Senior Assessor, have all provided positive, examples of some first-response equipment and on-going remediation work in a domestic setting is shown below.

ISAS Assessors have also undertaken site visits to several companies in Northern Ireland, the next scheduled site visits are planned to take place in late October, in addition our Principle Marine Assessor as being busy undertaking re-accreditation of our marine OSRO members who are assessed to the standard required by the MCA for contractor’s operating within the Ports/Harbour and general marine environment. There is also a midterm assessment visit which will take place during the three-year cycle of the accreditation.

Anyone wishing to find out more of the work of ISAS can do so by logging onto the ISAS website, were they can view the

INTRODUCTION

Our industry has a problem with recruitment. Most member companies say that they are short of staff and particularly seek experienced trained staff.

Introduction

Following Brexit, the influx of European workers into construction and other artisan trades has almost ceased. There is now competition for trained staff and our industry must compete hard to retain, let alone recruit, new employees.

Our industr y has a problem with recruitment. Most member companies say that they are s of staff and par ticularly seek experienced trained staff.

Conversely the industry is as busy as it has ever been. With the transition from hydrocarbons, investment in maintaining infrastructure is reducing with the consequence that failures have increased and maintenance of it essential. This high level of activity is likely to continue for the next decade and beyond.

Those who work in the industry enjoy it. Most will say that, no two days are the same, they travel widely and the work is diverse, generally rewarding and interesting. Most feel there is opportunity to develop within it. Many have made careers in spill response and have moved from responder to senior manager or even to become Directors in the industry having worked for several companies along the way.

Following Brexit, the influx of European workers into construction and other ar tisan trades almost ceased. There is now competition for trained staff and our industr y must compete h to retain, let alone recruit, new employees.

The industry tends to reward those who are versatile, have a good safety culture, are quick to learn, show leadership skills, can work well under pressure, are willing to travel and work away from home for periods of time.

The industry is likely to grow over the next decade and whilst we will see a slow move from hydrocarbons toward chemicals and alternatiove fuel types. Consequently scopes of work may change however it will grow as the importance of environmental protection becomes even more essential.

To discuss these issues in January 2022 we formed the Employment Opportunities Working group with the following objective:

Through collaborative working to generate and evolve career pathways for the industry. To promote them to those within our industry and to those who seek to join it from other industries. The goal is that all in the industry have a clear career pathway and can develop their potential within it. Devise a communication strategy so that a career in our industry is attractive and recognised as worthwhile and rewarding.

Conversely the industr y is as busy as it has ever been With the transition from hydrocarbon nvestment in maintaining infrastructure is reducing with the consequence that failures ha ncreased and maintenance of it essential. This high level of activity is likely to continue for t next decade and beyond

A small working group has met 6 times since then to see what can be done. This group members and their relevant experience is as follows:

• Martin Brannock, Managing Director, RSK Response (Inland Response and Consultancy)

• Mark Shephard, Director of Operations, NRC (Marine and Inland Response)

• Neil Marson , Executive Director, International Spill Accreditation Scheme (Marine and Inland Response)

• Steve Guy, Assessor, International Spill Accreditation Scheme (Marine)

• Mark J Orr, Executive Director, UK and Ireland Spill Association (Inland)

THE CHALLENGE

• These are comments made by working group members in one of our earlier meetings

• How do we help our members win the competition for resources.

Those who work in the industr y enjoy it. Most will say that no two days are the same, they travel widely and the work is diverse, generally rewarding and interesting. Most feel there is oppor tunity to develop within it Many have made careers in spill response and have moved rom responder to senior manager or even to become Directors in the industr y having work or several companies along the way.

• We have great career opportunities and need to tell people about them.

• We are often challenged to prove competence particularly on inland events where most training is in house and not independently accredited.

• Whilst marine spill response has an established progression from MCA 1-5, inland response and consultancy lack this.

• This can mean that individuals, thinking of their own careers, do not know how transferable skills are from one part of the spill/ pollution industry to another

It summarises some of the problems to be addressed.

The industr y tends to reward those who are versatile, have a good safety culture, are quick t earn, show leadership skills, can work well under pressure, are willing to travel and work aw rom home for periods of time.

EXPERIENCE OF OTHER INDUSTRIES

UK and Ireland Spill Association has become quite close to the British Disaster Management Association (BDMA) whose members primarily deal with fire and flood damage incidents. Speaking to some of their Board members, they faced similar issues a decade ago and undertook a review.

Their clients are primarily insurance companies or larger companies who may self-insure some of their own risk. They were unhappy, as the service provided was inconsistent across the industry as training was provided by member companies to their own syllabi based up-on what they did and not necessarily what the client required. Quality of provision varied significantly from one member company to another and delivery expectations were sometimes different to the industry norm.

They addressed this by undertaking two significant pieces of work:

A team of members met and wrote what eventually became the first draft of BS 12999: A code of practice for the organization and management of the stabilization, mitigation and restoration of properties, contents, facilities and assets following incident damage.

From this document flowed the competency training required to meet the requirements of the standard at all levels of management and service delivery. It also includes training of client’s staff so they know what to expect when engaging with member companies. This resulted in the formation of the BDMA Academy https://bdma.org.uk/training-and-education/

Through the Insurance Working Group, our Association has become closer to the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA). As the insurance industry evolved ,the performance of loss adjusters failed to evolve with it. CILA council members and executive board were aware of this and undertook a review that resulted in CILA becoming directly involved in setting syllabi and providing support to members through a defined qualification scheme. https://www.cila.co.uk/cila/getting-qualified

The training provision is an important part of CILA and manages the career development of members. The Education committee reviews the necessary knowledge, competences and skills required by Loss Adjusters and promotes Institute projects that support our members so ensuring we are, ready now and ready for the future.

The working group felt there were lessons to be learned from these examples.

OPINION OF THE WORKING GROUP

The members of the working group believe that, in general, the industry is well trained for current risks that manage the consequences of the unplanned release of hydrocarbons into the environment on land and at sea.

In general, most response companies have the confidence of their clients.

The marine sector learned a lot from the many reviews that followed the Deepwater Horizon incident in April 2010. It has since modernised its training and delivery of response. Consequently the incidents that have tested the industry since 2010 have been well managed and there is greater interoperability between companies that provide industry resilience and competence.

Fortunately, the inland sector has not had such a large incident to deal with. However, the largest incident in a decade was the derailment at Llangennech in August 2020. This incident is still early in its review stage but, through collaborative working across the industry, was well managed and involved no loss of life and long term damage to the environment was minimised by appropriate action.

However, the industry must not be complacent. The drive toward net zero means that, over time, hydrocarbon use will reduce, to be replaced by other forms of fuel whose risks to the environment must be understood and managed by responders. It may be that the risks being managed are similar to those from chemical products. However, for each there must be agreed response plans that are reflected in the training provision.

A useful role for the Association is to collaborate with industry and members to design appropriate training provision and liaise with regulators on production of guidance in how the risk of unplanned release may be managed. Part of this work has started in conjunction with the Environment Agency with the new Emerging and Future Risks Working Group.

THE EXISTING TRAINING PROVISION

It is important to say existing training is effective.

In general response companies provide their staff with considerable health, safety, environment and hazard awareness training (fire, asbestos, first aid, working at heights, driving skills, noise and vibration etc), basic specialist training related to working on forecourts or/and oil terminals (fuel and explosion risk, use of gas detector), confined space training that is provided in house or through approved training providers. However there is a division between the specialist response training provision of the three sections of our membership: marine, inland and consultancy which are outlined below:

For marine responders the training structure is the Maritime and Coastguard Agency scheme which is internationally recognised. Its outline structure with indicative time periods between qualifiactions in brackets, is as follows:

This scheme involves passing a series of practical and theoretical courses that progress in difficulty and scope as one moves up the chain with both experience and age, with Level 3 and above being aimed at Incident Command. The courses vary in duration from 24hrs to 5 days and are generally delivered in person though some parts and some refresher courses can be undertaken online.

Training is provided by accredited providers, which may be larger companies, Nautical Institute and other major training companies.

INLAND

The International Spill Accreditation Scheme (ISAS) has registered 6 companies as accredited training providers who provide a mix of general courses related to spill response. All were invited to a conference call. Those that attended agreed that their primary focus was on basic spill response courses to industry and organisations other than spill response companies.

However there are three accredited training companies that provide specific training to spill responders (though course names and content may differ slightly). The courses may be described as:

• Basic Spill response course for responders – half or one day practical course

• Advanced spill response course, involving spills in water, maybe introduction to chemicals - one day course

• Tactical Spill Responder, dealing with complex and challenging spills – one day course

CONSULTANCY

As consultants are not generally responders, their training is more related to hazard awareness but spill awareness training, often provided by accredited training providers is undertaken. Their role is more managerial than practical but understanding of what is involved in spill responses is essential to their work.

Consultants have a mix of theoretical and practical training.

Most training is provided in-house but some specialist training is externally provided.

DETAILED PROPOSAL

different qualifications, experiences, vocational and formal training eg NVQs, Diplomas and Degrees which all contribute to competence by knowledge These need to be accepted in our career pathways and not inhabit individual progress and personal development

A. The Group felt that if we are to develop a structure for a career in spill response the possibility of migration between marine and inland response and from related environmental sectors should not be ignored. The clear structure of marine training, which is a familiar model career pathway, should be emulated for inland response and consultancy training and prompt the development of more technically challenging courses that reflect emerging and future risks aimed at incident management.

Indeed the Group believed that there should be greater focus on individual achievement and individuals taking some responsibility for the management of their career This would be by maintaining competency training records, compiling CPD records and recording the on site experience they build These would therefore be essential to independent award of certification

B As the industry is trying to encourage career development, having a clear pathway is important to provide structure and aspiration. The new pathways for marine, inland and consultancy should meet at stages to enable migration between them Consequently, the Group believes that providing an element of independent certification, by a recognised Institute, would add authority to the training scheme This would provide independent certification applicable to achievement of career stages in marine, inland and consultancy career pathways We have held discussions with Institute of Environmental Science about incorporating the awards at specified career stages as outlined below:

B. As the industry is trying to encourage career development, having a clear pathway is important to provide structure and aspiration. The new pathways for marine, inland and consultancy should meet at stages to enable migration between them. Consequently, the Group believe that providing an element of independent certification, by a recognised Institute, would add authority to the training scheme. This would provide independent certification applicable to achievement of career stages in marine, inland and consultancy career pathways. We have held discussions with Institute of Environmental Science about incorporating the awards at specified career stages as outlined below:

The career pathways for each section of our membership are outlined in the table on the following page

The Group recognise that people migrating to our industry from another may come with different qualifications, experiences, vocational and formal training eg NVQs, Diplomas and Degrees which all contriovbute to competence by knowledge. These need to be accepted in our career pathways and not inhbit individual progress and personal development.

The Group recognised that people migrating to our industry from another may come with different qualifications, experiences, vocational and formal training eg NVQs, Diplomas and Degrees which all contribute to competence by knowledge These need to be accepted in our career pathways and not inhabit individual progress and personal development

Indeed the Group believed that there should be greater focus on individual achievement and individuals taking some responsibility for the management of their career. This would be by maintaining competency training records, compiling CPD records and recording the on-site experience they build. These would therefore be essential to independent award of certification.

The career pathways for each section of our membership are outlined in the table.

PROPOSED OUTLINE CAREER PATHWAYS:

Indeed the Group believed that there should be greater focus on individual achievement and individuals taking some responsibility for the management of their career This would be by maintaining competency training records, compiling CPD records and recording the on site experience they build These would therefore be essential to independent award of certification

The career pathways for each section of our membership are outlined in the table on the following page

An expanded version of this is at Annex A with a full breakdown of the possible content of a future training structure. It is important that as an individual’s career develops there is a mix of independently provided training, in-company training combined with building practical experience.

Spill Supervisor

The criteria for the independently awarded qualification is at:

REnvTech, Registered Environmental Technician - https://www.the-ies.org/technician

REnvP, Registered Environmental Practitioner - https://www.the-ies.org/registered_practitioner

CEnv, Chartered Environmentalist https://www.the-ies.org/chartered_environmentalist CSci, Chartered Scientist https://www.the-ies.org/chartered_scientist

It is important to note that the awarding of these qualifications is independent of the Association. Whilst the Association will have representation on the awarding committee they will never be in the majority to ensure the independence of the award.

C.

D. E.

The Group believe that dealing with and managing spill incidents is paramount in development of management experience. As this takes time to earn it is therefore likely that there will be a gap of several years between qualification. A documentary or ‘log book’ of relevant experience is therefore essential to the award of qualifications

For the award of the RenvP and CEnv candidates will be interviewed in person or online by an awarding panel who will interview each candidate. UK and Ireland Spill Association will be represented on this panel.

Cost is always a necessary consideration and indicative costs of the independently awarded certitication are as follows:

Membership of the Insititute of Environmental Sciences:

Associate - £101 per year Member - £125 per year

REnvTech costs

One off Application fee £44 Annual Fee £32

REnvP

One off Application fee £88 Annual Fee £40

CEnv

One off Application fee £135 Interview stage £190 Annual Fee £125

Note – In general these fees are tax deductible from your personal tax. (This may depend on personal circumstances)

MARKETING OF A CAREER IN SPILL RESPONSE

Oen of the Working Group’s tasks is to develop a marketing plan for the new Career Pathways.

This will involve marketing the career pathways internally to the industry so that those within them understand how it affects them.

This will involve marketing them to relevant career groups eg:

Armed Force leavers

Construction Industry

Maritime Industry University, Technical College Career Fairs Environmentasl Services Industry

Demolition Industry Forecourt Services Industry Oil and Gas Industry (offshore and onbshore)

NEXT STEPS

This is a consultation document which now needs your feedback, written or verbal.

A lot of thought, albeit from a small group, has gone into its production. We want to develop clear and logical pathways for those currently in the industry, those who may join it in the future, those who we can attract into it from other industries so that joining the industry will benefit them and their employers.

We are also tryng to develop a dynamic career pathway that by review will ensure rlevant training and qualification provision for the work the industry undertakes and the risks its staff face.

As a company:

Will you adopt this for your spill response staff?

If no what needs to change to do so? How can this be improved?

As an individual:

Is this range of external qualifications attractive to you? Will yiou be prepared to invest time and some money in yiour career development?

So please deliver feedback!

Comments directly in writing to info@ukeirespill.org ANNEXES: A.

For the three career pathways there are different training requirements but many elements will be common to all eg Health, safety, fire, confined space, water awareness, management of risk, etc will be common to all and grow in importance as individuals move into a incident management and command role. This is therefore the Group’s proposal and will evolve by consultation. However it must be credible and prepare people for the risk they face when planning exercises and in real incidents.

Responder

In Industry Experience*

Major Incident Commander (multiple location complex incident)

Training for Pathway for Inland responders and some course for consultants

Title: Spill Responder 1 day classroom and practical

Title: Responding to and Managing oil and biofuel spill incidents 2 day classroom and practical

Title: Responding to and Managing large spill (incl biofuels and non complex chemical) incidents 3 day classroom and practical

Title: Responding to and Managing complex spill incidents including HNS 5 day course classroom and practical

Title: Complex Incident Commander 5 day course classroom and practical

Evidence of successful training achievement

Incident Command System (ICS)100/200 (online 2 hrs)

ICS 300 (2 days online) ICS 400 (2 days online) ICS 402 (4 hrs online)

Water awareness* As Spill responder As Small incident /works supervisor As Site/Incident supervisor As Incident Manager

Small Boats Operator *(RYA) Working at height training

Incident Command course Level 2 Confined space awareness

BA & Confined space training Chemical hazards awareness and spill response training

Incident Command course Level 1

Incident & Crisis Response Communication Skills 5 day

Gas detector training PID training HAZWOPER Asbestos and Hazardous Materials training

Soil Sampling and custody training CITB H&S Awareness Waste management awareness

course eCourse (SMETS) eCourse 1 day

Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) 2 day

Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) 5 day

Site management environmental training scheme 15

NEBOSH Managing Safely

Tech IOSH Directing Safely

course eCourse (SMETS) eCourse 1 day

Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) 2 day

Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) 5 day

Successful External Award applicable to all pathways REnvTech REnv P CEnv

NEBOSH Managing Safely

Employment Opportunities Working Group Consultation Document V2 June 22

Tech IOSH Directing Safely

*Notes:

Successful

External Award applicable to all pathways REnvTech REnv P CEnv

*Notes: Qualification does not always mean competence and the gulf between the two is usually filled with experience. This has to be recognised by compeletion of the elements of training outlined above (or their accredited) equivalent and the completion of training logs and CPD. At this stage we are not stating that training must be by CITB/NEBOSH etc but the consultation will reveal the common source of this training.

Some courses will be applicable to company accreditation eg water awareness and small boats training.

*Notes:

Qualification does not always mean competence and the gulf between the two is usually filled with experience This has to be recognised by compeletion of the elements of training outlined above (or their accredited) equivalent and the completion of training logs and CPD At this stage we are not stating that training must be by CITB/NEBOSH etc but the consultation will reveal the f hi i i

CONTAMINATION AND GEOTECHNICAL SHOW

This regular show on the event calendar is now much larger and busier having absorbed the RWM and RWM live shows. This introduces waste management and recycling into the event mix. It brings in an new but relevant audience into the event and the footfall was welcome as it was pretty quiet last year, though quality was good.

This year the following UK and Ireland Spill Association members exhibited:

ALS Environmental Fosse Liquitrol Spillaway Projects Construction Testing Solutions

All reported good footfall on Day 1, though was a little quieter on Day 2. However there was some good quality amongst it.

The show has many seminar theatres, possibly too many, as audience sizes varied from full to just a few, However there were good presentation on microplastics, PFAS, material testing, brownfield contamination, Electric Vehiucles and of course recycling and waste management.

This year the Flood element of the show was very small and I felt sympathy for British Disaster Management Association who seemed to have the most poorly situated stand event – opposite a seminar theatre that had just 1 talk each day!

However footfall was generally good and quality was quite high.

Foss Liquitrol and Spillaway projects were also Innovation Award winners! Well done to them.

It was lovely seeing so many members attend and catch up. Face to face with them.

There are clearly changes in how loss adjusters are seeking to place work. The creation by loss adjusters of in- house

environmental consultancies through which work will be allocated and managed has unsettled some members. No doubt this is a change that will require discussion and consideration. However, we have seen rising standards in accreditation, best practice and the quality of delivery. It would be disappointing if we see any relaxation in standards.

The 2023 Contamination and Geotechnical Show is in planning. If members wish to amalgamate into one ‘Spill Prevent and Pollution Response Area’ then the opportunity is there to do that. Let me know if there is interest as we can ‘bulk buy’ the area arrange a seminar theatre that we can manage and deliver a shows within the show. Feedback and interest welcome!

SPILL RESPONSE TOP TIPS FOR WHAT MAKES A GREAT EXERCISE

“ “

This quote is from a piece carried by multiple newspapers recently. Over the years, we have attended many oil spill and other incident management exercises. Exercises can be the closest thing you’re ever going to get to the real thing, and it’s a chance to test your assumptions and understanding.

It can be a great team-building exercise and bring different functions of the company together in a meaningful and essential way.

The recent coverage of Russian exercises caused us to reflect on what makes a great exercise.

EXERCISE FUNDAMENTALS

Some fundamentals should form the basis of all exercises. Probably most important is defining the purpose and the objectives, followed very closely by setting the date. Setting the date and ensuring you’ve booked suitable facilities is essential. You get that bit right, and the rest is easy!

In our experience, the need to either test or train teams drives exercises. Consequently, the aim of the exercise forms the main objectives.

The objectives drive a lot of the content. It’s crucial that you don’t have too many. If you can, limit the objectives to between three and five. If you have more than that, your exercise will become overly complex.

The ipieca/IOGP Good Practice Guide provides guidance on constructing an exercise programme and is an invaluable resource.

SO, WHAT WORKS WELL? OUR TOP TIPS.

Practice responding to realistic scenarios for continuous improvements

All exercises are typically scenariobased; if you have a scenario, make it a realistic one.

performance in Ukraine has highlighted that

Make sure that the people who will be running an actual incident are in those roles for an exercise. Senior leaders often duck the exercise due to business or worries about loss of face if they make mistakes. Where those people make time, ensure they are fully versed in their role and are not afraid of feedback.

In the SIMCELL – it is essential to ensure key role players such as the vessel master or an OIM are played by those who have been in those roles or are still in them. It’s such a technical role and so demanding in terms of the knowledge base that it’s challenging to get it right. It makes such a difference to the exercise delegates to speak to somebody reacting as they would in real life.

You can also use the exercise to contact external stakeholders such as contractors, as it helps to bring a sense of realism about how long it will take to sign contracts, validate contact and mobilisation details and what the various blockers will be. It is important to be clear that it’s an exercise.

One additional consideration. Role players don’t always have to be in the SIMCELL. It depends on your objectives. We’ve seen SIMCELLs, which involved government entities in the past, and they worked well. However, the organisation was sufficiently mature in terms of its capability, so they felt it was okay to make a few mistakes in front of the regulator. It’s maybe something you wouldn’t perhaps do if you are beginning the road to building capability.

Field deployments are another way to add realism, either simultaneously or separately to the main exercise. Both have advantages and disadvantages. If you are still developing teams, separating the offshore exercise and running it beforehand is probably best. That way, you can give relative feedback on any incorrect

assumptions, like “it’ll be there in 5 minutes” or “yes, that piece of kit was maintained last week and is running smoothly”.

Use actual data wherever possible — today’s weather, freight availability, equipment readiness, and other relevant factors. The temptation to ‘cheat’ in an exercise can sometimes be overwhelming, but these are all constraints you will find in a realworld incident, so play them for real here. Note that one exception may be weather and currents if the exercise is to test a particular scenario in your plan.

Staging a press conference is fantastic for focusing the mind. It helps to drive the exercise when people know they will be fronting up to the cameras very shortly. It can help if the press conference is the very last session of the day because people are usually mentally exhausted by the end of it. Recording this session can help as it gives helpful material during feedback later, particularly if exercising your media management is an exercise objective.

Plan it well but don’t share the plan

Exercise designers will try to weave several considerations into play. Elements to consider include:

Check the capability. Are teams ready for the test phase?

What are the priorities?

Any complimentary activities? Mandatory/regulatory exercises?

Rota issues? Ensure equal experiences?

Onboard new team members?

Critical to a good exercise is a dedicated team running the exercise, who have planned it well and have injects ready to feed in to keep the pace high is critical. However, there is no need for those participating, including those at a senior level, to

Russia’s military

Russia’s military strategic exercises ….. have failed to sustain the military’s ability to conduct large scale, complex operations. Such events are heavily scripted, do not encourage initiative, and primarily aim to impress Russian leaders and international audiences

know that plan in advance.

Don’t be afraid to have time jumps but use them carefully.

Most incidents generate a tremendous amount of information and require several discussions and decisions. This quantity is hard to replicate in an exercise if you include a time jump. There is the potential for the exercise to become confusing. People may struggle to determine the decisions made and the current state of the ‘incident’.

Whether an exercise has a time jump depends on the objective and the parts of the plan you need to exercise. It may be necessary to have some time jumps in your drill. If a time jump is required, use time jumps wisely and don’t use them to magically solve an unresolved issue from earlier in the exercise.

There’s no such thing as a bad exercise, just bad follow-up.

There’s no getting away from the fact that there’s very little point in testing the system if the organisation fails to learn and repeats the same mistake.

Keep the debrief reasonably short. People are usually tired after the exercise and their brains can be frazzled. The tried and tested system of “three good points and three points

for improvement” seems to work well.

Capturing the real-time feedback points on a screen can save much time and minimise misunderstanding as everybody gets to see the feedback as it’s written, which can then go into the main report. If you can - hold a postexercise workshop to develop and endorse an action plan.

Testing the ‘Hearts and Minds’ approach can bring huge rewards.

Community liaison and engagement have always been important. It is critical to get the local community on your side, work collaboratively with them, communicate with them, and, most significantly, reassure them that you are conducting the pollution response responsibly.

Leaving an indelible positive mark on the community is crucial to your response. The ‘hearts and minds’ approach may sound contrived, but it’s as critical to a successful response as a clean beach. It is essential to factor this into your exercise planning and testing.

Discovering the ‘Unknowns’.

To quote Donald Rumsfeld, “We know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that

is to say, we know there are some things we do not know.”

Donald Rumsfeld’s very famous quote about unknowns is significant in exercises. There are lots of unknown issues which may challenge us during a response; sometimes known and sometimes unknown. Identifying these unknowns could mean the difference between doing it right and wrong, as our following example shows.

‘Unknown unknowns’ came up during an offshore exercise in Libya. The exercise objective was to test the team’s ability to deploy the containment and recovery equipment. This activity was something the offshore team had done for years without any problems. They had gone without a hitch, but for one key reason – the exercises were just for show and didn’t test the whole system. Once the team changed their approach, they found lots of issues that would have caused real issues during an incident, vessels were too small, hoses were too short, and connectors didn’t connect!

The team made a few recommendations, and the next time they attended the deployment, they had fixed the issues, meaning they were much more able to contain and recover the oil effectively.

Throughout exercises, you should always ask yourself, “How am I handling those known unknowns and unknown unknowns? Do I need a different viewpoint?”

WHICH FACTORS LIMIT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN EXERCISE?

When focus becomes tunnel vision Tunnel vision might be a problem during incidents, but can be tested during exercises. In 1995 Kenneth Conley, a Boston police officer, was convicted of perjury and obstruction because he’d been chasing a suspect and hadn’t noticed a group of policemen beating someone up even though he ran right past them just a few metres away.

There’s a lot more to the story, but the critical point is that Conley swore in court that he didn’t see the fight, so the jury decided he must have

been lying. However, a researcher by the name of Chris Chabris put the alibi to the test and conducted his experiments. He asked volunteers to follow somebody jogging and count the number of times the person touched their head as they jogged. Many of them didn’t know there was a staged fight in broad daylight right next to the path. 40% of those following the jogger didn’t see the staged fight, and Chris Chabris proved it was plausible that police officer Kenneth Conley had suffered inattentional blindness.

In another example of tunnel vision, some years back, the French train company SNCF fell victim to the challenges of technology. They were running an exercise and testing aspects of media management. This scenario was a deadly train incident involving the tragic loss of life of many people.

SNCF was so focused on communicating that they put the details on their website. They didn’t realise this website was published and available to the public. Without the words ‘exercise’ in bold throughout the copy, it was unclear that the exercise was not an actual incident. Only when they started to get calls from real journalists did it become clear they had made a mistake. Some exercises try to be overambitious with too many objectives. The exercise attempts to drive forward with levels of complexity that overwhelm the attendees.

One such exercise in Jakarta proved that point when the teams were working with a particular software platform that was ‘all consuming’ and demanded a lot of brain power. The scenario included a deliberate safety problem for them to solve, but nobody seemed to be able to decide to stop the response.

During the debrief, we discussed this point, but the exercise participants felt too busy trying to complete the tasks contained within the software. If this had been an actual event, it could have resulted in the loss of lives.

It is much better if you can limit the number of objectives to a manageable level (i.e. five) and try to make them complementary, such as testing the interaction between industry and government and your media response.

Virtual exercises bring their levels of complexity. Organisations should have their processes in order before conducting a virtual exercise, as these virtual platforms can amplify poor processes.

Virtual exercises open possibilities but add complexity

A wide variety of communication platforms exist in any virtual exercise. There can be too many platforms, resulting in a situation where the cart is leading the donkey.

There is the central platform, i.e., MS Teams or Zoom, which are very useful in terms of functionality. Some groups mistakenly treat these platforms like a glorified conference call and don’t take advantage of the various functions such as the breakout rooms, group announcements and file storage facilities.

In addition to the central platform, there can be WhatsApp groups for SIM cell people, telephone calls, conference calls, VHF radio for field deployments, emails, texts and many more. So much communication can quickly be overwhelming for those involved.

Good IT is critical. Most people need at least two screens to cope with the various platforms. Sound quality during calls is important - headsets are an advantage, and if you lose your connection, you need an outstanding deputy who can pick up where you dropped off at a moment’s notice.

A virtual IMS facilitator is a new essential function within the ICS or IMS organisation. This function is needed so they can run all the IT elements and take the pressure off the planning section chief. There are many issues this function will need to take care of, such as people appearing in breakout rooms where they shouldn’t be, some people not muting, bringing background noise, and disrupting communications.

Whilst the breakout rooms are excellent; there is a tendency towards the silo effect - information by osmosis doesn’t work. Observing everything is challenging; the Information Centre is critical - you need to record actions/ timelines/ decisions and monitor costs. Teams can forget this data capture in a virtual exercise.

During a virtual exercise, it is likely that participants could suffer from screen fatigue as users are likely to be focusing on those multiple screens. It can be mentally exhausting being constantly on the go. Long exercises are ambitious, so it’s essential to make sure you look after your teams, take breaks, and get some fresh air between meetings.

CONCLUSION

Going into an exercise, maybe we should ask ourselves “are we exercising to impress, as was reported about the Russian military, or our we exercising to learn?”

Exercises are about as close to the real thing as it gets and they are a vital component in the preparedness toolbox to ensure the system is tested so that gaps can be exposed and improved. There are several styles of exercises that can be employed to suit the needs of the organisation, and being clear on the objectives is key. It is important to use realistic scenarios and experienced people to drive the exercise forward by using realistic phone calls, emails, and other relevant inputs, it can be a wasted opportunity if thoughts, ideas and knowledge aren’t stretched and tested in ‘peacetime’.

In our experience exercises always generate learnings, which if acted upon will serve to improve preparedness and thereby mitigate the number of challenges that a real incident will bring. It is important to consider though with each subsequent exercise how the team can be stretched and uncover some of the unknows which exist in every organisation. The important point to remember is to not make exercises overly complex, but to stick to reality, i.e. if you would use MS Teams during an incident, then test that system during an exercise and don’t be afraid to challenge thoughts and status quo if the exercise reveals that there is a better way of doing it!

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.

FURTHER PORTBIN TIDE FOR A NUMBER CASE STUDIES

These changes will help to raise and maintain the high standard which is expected from ISAS accredited companies, and who in turn can deliver a quality service to their end-users. Zwanny’s (SpillTech) stationary collector for floating waste in ports has changed its name.

They are now called PortBin tide. Reason for this as the Portbin tide will take advantage of the tide having optimal levelling of tide and collecting floating plastics, cans, cups and other floating waste.

The tide range has of three different units. PortBin tide shallow, PortBin tide, and PortBin XL.

With 3 options in the range the shallow unit only needs a depth of 90cm while the standard Portbin tide would require at least a depth of 120cm.

These 2 options have got a 30litre basket when full needs to be emptied manually by hand. These 2 types would be supplied with a non inflatable boom that will guide the rubbish to the unit.

The third unit in the range is the PortBin XL is the big brother in the range with a collecting volume of around 1000 liters, this unit will sit in a corner and will work on its own but if needed can be supplied with a guide boom. When full the basket can be lifted out by crane and all the collected waste can be put into a skip.

Each unit has a specially designed pump that

will run for many hours. Each Portbin has a basket with holes to collect the waste and will enable marine life to swim in and out and does not require a net that not only will trap marine life but will need to be replaced from time to time.

The Portbin tide family will save the cost of a person(s) going in around the port or marina with a boat and net fishing out the floating rubbish, why not look at cost savings for your port/marina/river and let nature do some of the hardwork and save time

We supplied in December 2021 another UK Port in Scotland with a Portbin tide and in March 2022 the first Portbin XL went to a Welsh port and this year we supplied urther units into the South East of The UK. All a great benefits of cost savings and keeping the ports clean there are now a number of Portbin tide units in The UK and speaking to the Ports who have got them they are happy with the product and if a visit is needed this can be looked at.

Why not contact Zwanny to discuss how the PortBin can be of use to you? Or we can come to you to discuss your port pollution requirements.

For more details contact: Email: sales@zwannyltd.com Web: www.zwannyltd.com Call: 01633 968083

ZWANNY MK8 BOOM

Zwanny Ltd has been busy with the supply of pollution equipment to a number of sections of industry. One of the recent products in high demand is the Lamor MKS boom supplied by Zwanny to clients in Gent and a fuel terminal in Antwerp. Both clients required over 100m of the MKS boom.

The reason that these two clients purchased the MK8 is that the boom is a good all rounder to use in many applications and is very easy to use.

The boom applications can be in an port environment which are not only oil terminals but can also be used in docks or powerstations and cooling water intakes.

In addition to saltwater applications, it is important not to forget to mention fresh water applications for rivers or canals or even water treatment sites. The MK8 can be used as a permanent boom due to its long life span.

What makes the MK8 special and a great piece of boom is that it is manufactured from strong PVC coated belting fabric together with durable polyethylene floats. The floats will never fill up with water or sink as each float is made from solid molded closed cell polyethylene foam that is pressed at high temperature to form the outerskin incorporating a unique splash guard handle.

The boom has marine growth inhibitors and are fully UV resistant. For ballast the boom is equipped with galvanized steel ballast weights. The boom can be supplied in custom build sections with ASTM F962 as standard connector plates and the boom can also withstand impacts of heavy debris.

For more details contact: Email: sales@zwannyltd.com Web: www.zwannyltd.com Call: 01633 968083

CASE STUDIES

ADLER AND ALLAN SUPPORT IN MAJOR INCIDENT EXERCISE WITH HOYER GAS & PETROLEUM LOGISTICS LTD

This month Adler and Allan was commissioned by HOYER Gas & Petroleum Logistics Ltd to support in an emergency response exercise.

The exercise was carried out in conjunction with the Cheshire Fire & Rescue College, North West Ambulance Services, Highways England, Cheshire Constabulary, D&G Assist and Adler & Allan.

The scenario is designed to exercise the HOYER Emergency Response procedures, the mobilisation of HOYER Major Incident Control Centre (MICC). It is also designed to test the competency levels of the HOYER Incident Management team (Incident Controllers) and the procedures / cooperation between HOYER, Adler and Allan, D&G Assist and other external parties that may be involved in dealing with a major incident resulting in injuries, a rollover, oil spill incident, vehicle uplift, recovery and clean-up operation.

As part of the services required at the scene HOYER mobilised Adler and Allan as its approved supplier for Oil Spill Management (OMT).

Adler and Allan demonstrated addressing the issues involving the containment and removal of the fuel/oil (water) and remaining product transfer to a relief tanker as well as dealing with environmentally sensitive areas including water courses, storm drains and hazardous risks including overhead lane markings, lighting lamp post, traffic and road users near the incident.

Once the tanker used in the exercise had been uplifted and recovered Adler and Allan carried out a thorough clean-up of the area including demonstrating use of a gully sucker to empty the drains of product and fire foam.

Find out more about Adler and Allan’s emergency response capability on our website here: https://www. adlerandallan.co.uk/services/ environmental-emergency-response/ spill/

WORKING GROUPS REPORT

MARINE AND MANUFACTURERS WORKING GROUP

The group was largely at Interspill in June and reported positively on the event with good quality visitors and a strong technical conference. We are planning a marine event in spring 2023 and a webinar series in the autumn and spring covering Equipment Selection in spill response; Shoreline Assessment Criteria and how it is changing and risks evolve; Tier 1 and 2 spill response; surveillance.

The group is working on a draft standard for temporary tanks used in spill response. Once we have developed this standard we will then concentrate on using the same format of document for skimmers.

INSURANCE WORKING GROUP

The Group was initially formed to lobby on behalf of members to the Environment Agency to seek changes in the awkward working in their best practice guidance called Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM).

We are making slow progress with the EA but are slowly winning the battle to ensure LCRM wording will be changed in particular removal of the words ‘return the site to its original state’.

The group have suggested:

‘suitably mitigate identified impacts to health and the environment and other identified receptors’

However issues remain with adopting a risk assessed approach to initial response. When LCRM Stage 1 talks about remediation it does not encourage the use of a risk based approach which we have strongly objected to and have suggested following the risk based approach

Our working groups are proving a good method for members to direct the activity of the Association to their benefit/interest. They meet at least quarterly and help to direct the work of the Association!

throughout Stage 1,2 and 3 of the guidance – a submission to explain why this is critical was submitted in mid October.

We wait their response but we are trying to push them to update LCRM by Christmas.

The rapid growth of Sedgwicks/EFI Global and Crawford Environmental Consultants has unsettled many members who provide consultancy and contracting services to Crawford and Sedgwick loss adjusters.

Our next meeting on 20 October 2022 will discuss these issues but also to look at how we better engage with the Loss adjuster industry.

Recently joined members EFI Global, Crawford, Questgates are APS Env are joining the group.

We have all contributed to the consultation on mobile plant permits and hope for a change.

We are also lobbying for a Regulatory Position Statement to allow temporary discharge consents to be given for remediation systems engaged in recovery of pollution from the ground on an emergency basis.

It seem illogical for these incidents, which are relatively few in number, to have to wait 8 weeks of so for a discharge consent to be issued. The EA support this however have not effected this yet.

PLASTIC POLLUTION WORKING

GROUP

In February 2022 the group set itself quite ambitious goals that would results in best practice guidance being made available online to all involved in dealing with a plastic pollution incident.

The Group has a huge depth of knowledge in dealing with plastic pollution incidents with experience going back to MV RENA and most incidents since including MV X-Press Pearl more recently.

Of our 10 goals members have now released papers for group peer review on:

Goal One: Plastic Pollution: Sources, Pathways and Impacts of Microplastics

Goal Two: Equipment for the recovery of microplastics from shorelines and nearshore environments

These are very well written documents and provide high quality knowledge that will benefit the spill community and those involved in managing the risk and response to such incidents.

Once these are peer reviewed they will be published online at www.ukeirespill.org and for each goal we will be running a webinar to explain its contents, this will also be available on the website.

our members, further.

We have joined Operation Clean Sweep (managed by British Plastic Federation) –supporting better management of plastic products by those who handle it in the supply chain.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES WORKING GROUP

Through collaborative working this group is seeking to generate and evolve career pathways for those involved in spill response or brownfield remediation. This is to encourage people to join our industry from others and provide structure to the career of those within the industry . This will be supported by participating in career development through independently assessed qualifications such as :

Registered Environmental Technician Registered Environmental Practitioner Chartered Environmentalist

The group have met six times so far this year and has produced a document for Consultation that sets out a new training and competency matrix for the different parts of the industry that places emphasis on a high standard of training and a log book of individual experience as the basis for advancement in the industry.

One of our goals is to produce a Good Practice Guide which will represent what the Group feels is the ay to plan for, respond to and manage these incidents. IPIECA have offered to support this document and will be publishing this on behalf of the group during 2023.

One of our members is University of Southampton and the Group is now liaising with them about project for post-graduates undertaking Masters and PhD study which will enable members to direct research to evolve and trial solutions that will aid spill response.

We are also bidding for support from ITOPF for research funding which needs to be submitted by Christmas.

We have also submitted to the consultation on the Marine Litter Scotland Strategic Plan and spoken to Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful working group.

Our work is having impact outside of DEFRA/EA world and we are in touch with British Plastic Federation, Rivers Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Seas-at-Risk, Ocean Generation and to NE P&I club and are looking to extend our reach, through

The Consultation Document is discussed elsewhere in this issues and may be viewed on www.ukeirespill.org.

We are very keen to hear your views which will be presented at the Annual Conference on 10 Nov 22.

WE ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE!

EMERGING AND FUTURE RISKS WORKING GROUP

For some time we have had quarterly catch ups with the Environment Agency Incident management Team. These have been very useful as a conduit for exchanging information and knowledge.

The EA have asked us to Chair and provide the secretariat for a new working group with the following objective:

WORKING GROUPS REPORT

To assist the Environment Agency (and others of devolved nations that subsequently join) and the Fire and Rescue Service in producing initial response plans for unplanned releases of products that are currently in the market or are planned to be released in the future. To review those previously released in light of experience.

The Group will initially involve the EA, UKEireSpill and the Fire and Rescue Service. However, once we have met and the Group is starting to work the EA are keen to involve NRW, SEPA, DAERA and where appropriate Public Health Agencies from all devolved nations.

The Group’s initial working is on: HVO Lithium Ion Batteries Ammonia as a propulsion fuel.

INTERSPILL 2022 REFLECTIONS

Interspill was last run in 2018 in London and was therefore supposed to run in 2021 but COVID forced a one year delay. The Interspill Committee bravely decided to make the event face-toface and not hybrid as people do business with people and they felt it was time to leave COVID behind for a few days in June!

However recognising that COVID has changed our world, putting pressure on budgets, and also travel, the need to make the Conference more accessible to all those attending Interspill was obvious to both the Committee and Organiser. Consequently for 2022, the Conference was open to all attending, with all visitors paying a flat daily fee of €100 to attend all of the event. Traditional Conference delegates saw the cost of attending for 3 days halved, and day visitors were able to access the Exhibition, but also attend all Conference and workshops sessions.

There were other innovations with the Interspill Academy offering training each day. The Science and Innovation Workshops were expanded and were very interesting. The Premiam conference was also integrated into the event. We were fortunate in that exhibitors also chose to use the event to host sales meetings, training conferences and networking events for customers.

The industry evolved new ways of responding to and training for incidents, like MV Wakashio, MV X-Press Pearl and the Llangennech derailment during COVID from which much has been learned. Indeed many older hands would consider the industry to be as

busy as ever. Thus with the energy transition, greater focus on environmental protection, emerging fuels, emerging pollutants there was much for the Conference to discuss in its 21 sessions.

The event saw over 1000 delegates, a full exhibition, interesting conference, detailed and interesting science and innovation workshops and the joy of being face to face again. It was clear that people enjoyed being back together and catching up, doing business and learning from each other. The exhibitors felt that is was a case of quality and not quantity and went away pleased.

This was the first event run by iConex who replaced Reed. There is learning to be take onboard before 2025 and this may well prompt a move away from a capital city location. RAI were not as professional as when last there and also very expensive both to hire the facility but also to access any of their services. Hotels in the proximity to the event were also high cost but many had staff shortages that meant poor or zero service.

The Interspill Committee will be reviewing the event in light of the positive feedback received from exhibitors and delegates but also look at improving and lowering the costs of doing Interspill 2025.

A link to the Interspill Conference Proceedings is at: https://www.interspill.org/previous-events/2022-interspillamsterdam/

The conference will be in the Events Suite at Marriot Nottingham Belfry.

For those not staying on 9 Nov, tea and coffee will be available on arrival.

The conference programme is at Annex B (it may be subject to minor speaker changes) and will be updated online and on social media.

Coffee and tea will be provided throughout and a finger buffet lunch will be served.

The cost to attend the conference is purely to assist in covering some of the catering costs and is £20 per attendee (member companies) £50 per attendee (non-member).

10 NOV: EXHIBITION ADJACENT TO THE CONFERENCE

We have booked a room adjacent to the Conference Room for members to exhibit with 2m x 1m stands. There is space for up to 15 exhibitors and each will have a 4ft table, 2 chairs and sufficient space for a series of pull ups.

The cost to exhibit is to cover the cost of room hire is £110 per company.

Following the exhibition, those who exhibit may place their pull ups in the dinner venue.

The booking form is at Annex A 10

The Annual Members Meeting will be held to present the work done by the Association over the last year, announce its plans for the next year and seek members approval of its annual accounts, budget, executive director’s remuneration and vote in new members to the Board which this year will include a new Chair, Vice Chair and 2 Board Members.

It is therefore a significant formal meeting in the formal life of the Association and we would hope that members can attend in sufficient numbers to reflect this. It is not an exhaustive meeting but an opportunity for members to hold the executive of the Association to account.

There is no need to book to attend this meeting!

DESSERTS

Red Berry Eton Mess with Whipped Vanilla Cream

LACTOSE FREE/ VEGAN OPTION: Tropical Fruit

Salad

Please select your menu option by 25 October using the Booking Form at Annex A

If not staying in the hotel then the dinner only charge is £65. Please indicate how many non-residents will be eating on the Booking Form at Annex A so an invoice may be raised.

DINNER TABLE ARRANGEMENTS:

The room will be laid out with round tables seating up to 10 guests per table. A full table will be classed a 8 or more.

If you wish to book a table for your company then please indicate on the Booking Form at Annex A.

If booking less than 8 persons we will aggregate those attending to ensure the optimal number of tables.

Whilst there is a bar that will be open to support the event, to ease congestion, I suggest that you pre-order wine using the form that is attached at Annex C and order this directly with the hotel. You can then ‘top up’ from the bar. Please email this form to events@ marriottdeltanottingham.co.uk. 10 NOV: ANNUAL AWARDS - SPONSORED BY INTERNATIONAL SPILL ACCREDITATION SCHEME

(ISAS)

You will have recently seen a request for submissions in the following five categories by 31 October 2022:

1. RISING STAR AWARD – To recognize the importance of attracting new talent into our industry and celebrating their outstanding achievements. This award is open to individuals of any age who have been in their current role for less than three years.

2. INLAND RESPONDER – To recognize response actions by and from within a company to a spillage incident which has resulted in a significant success for that company in the field of spill response over the last three years

3. MARINE/INTERNATIONAL RESPONDER- To recognize response actions by and from within a company to a spillage incident which has resulted in a significant success for that company in the field of spill response over the last three years.

4. MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR –

To recognize the manufacturer whose products have made the most significant contribution to spill response over the last three years.

5. INNOVATION OF THE YEAR –Innovation is what drives the industry forward, especially during times of economic restraint – this award is for a product or a service that has made a significant impact within the industry over the last three years.

If you would like nominate your company or an individual for an award then the following process applies:

Your company must be a Corporate Member of UKEireSpill or an Accredited Member of ISAS at the time of your submission.

Submissions must be made to info@ ukeirespill.org no later than 31st October 2022 These will be judged by a mix of UKEireSpill and ISAS Board Members

Winners will receive an award from the Chair of ISAS at the Awards Dinner.

1. GO KARTING CHALLENGE 9 NOV 22:

We would like to enter ……........…… team(s) in the Go Karting Challenge. We will enter a team of 4 or 5 drivers at £50 per driver.

We agree to be charged a total of £………......…

2. ANNUAL CONFERENCE 10 NOV 22:

We would like to book ……........… delegate places at the annual conference

Complete as applicable:

We are a member company and agree to be charged for …......……. Places at £20 per attendee We are not yet members and agree to be charged for ……......…. Places at £50 per attended

We agree to be charged a total of £…..........……….

3. EXHIBITION 10 NOV 22

We would like to book an exhibition space adjacent to the conference. We agree to be charged £110 to contribute to the costs of the room hire

We agree to be charged a total of £………..

4. ANNUAL DINNER 10 NOV 22

We would like to attend the Annual Dinner and require ……......… tables. We would like to book …….......… places at the dinner . All attendees are staying in the hotel so the dinner is included in our accommodation charge.

We require …........….. places at the dinner for guests not staying in the hotel and agree to be charged £65 per person as they are non residents.

We agree to be charged a total of £……........….. If booking less than 8 persons we will aggregate those attending to ensure the optimal number of tables.

5. LIST OF CONFERENCE ATTENDEES:

6. ANNUAL DINNER ATTENDEES

The following will be on our table and those who wish to have vegetarian/vegan option.

Name (as you wish it to appear on the table plan)

Name (as you wish it to appear on the table plan) Veg/Vegan Veg/Vegan

7. SPONSORSHIP

Please give me a call on possible sponsorship of Go Karting Challenge or the Pre-dinner drinks. Number……………………………………........……………..

If there are any queries please do get in touch.

NEW MEMBERS

SITE SOLUTIONS

Founded in 2001, Site Solutions provides reliable, professional waste removal services and continues to grow both in the size and range of services we offer. The business was purchased by the current directors in 2017 with the aim of expanding services whilst maintaining the high level of personal service for which the business was known. We have invested in technology and systems which allow the business to operate in an efficient manner and to ensure robust tracking of compliance documents. We have

developed an interactive online operations manual that is nextgeneration in terms of acting as a quality management system that is recognised by our customers. Equally as important it provides actual support to both the operational and back-office teams. Site Solutions have recruited time-served waste professionals to bring additional expertise into the team and our specialities include contaminated soils, logistics, composting and plasterboard recycling.

Our mission is to provide great service and to be easy to deal with. We pride ourselves on our hands-on approach and our can-do attitude, dealing with any issues that arise promptly and fairly. It’s this level of communication and practical problem solving that our customers enjoy. We have built long standing relationships with both SME and multi-national PLC customers. We provide skip hire, roll-on roll-off skips, grabs and tippers, contaminated soil treatment, Man and Van teams and difficult waste removal as well as arranging site offices, welfare units and portable toilets nationally.

Contact: Mea Kendall E: mea.kendall@sitesolutions-ltd.co.uk T: 01684 353556

Web: www.sitesolutions-ltd.co.uk

CONSTRUCTION TESTING SOLUTIONS

CTS Group (Construction Testing Solutions), CTS Group provides a wide range of environmental testing services to meet the complex requirements of Fuel Spill Response companies.

When an incident happens, getting the information needed to correctly and safely clean-up a spill is critical to highways, the environment and the local inhabitants. To assist this, we offer a single point of contact

at our laboratory, trained to meet your specialist requirements who have a good understanding of site challenges encountered, matrix issues, importance of close communication and data variability. Our highly technical senior chemists offer fast query resolution and responsive fuels analysis and reporting, utilising our extensive library for the identification of a range of fuels, including Kerosene, Gasoline, Diesel, Jet Fuels,

Transformer oil, Lubricating oil, Lubrication oil, mixed fuels. We are also able determine whether a spill is fresh or historic, along with fuel source and contamination matching, provide associated chromatograms and offer advice on clean-up techniques to remove the interference from non-fuel matter.

Our analytical techniques for soils and waters include: -

NEW MEMBERS

• TPH – Total Petroleum

Hydrocarbons

• BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Xylenes)

• MTBE

• Volatile Organics

• Banded TPH – GRO (Gasoline Range Organics), DRO (Diesel Range Organics), MRO (Mineral Range Organics)

• TPHCWGs – Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Criteria Working Group

• Chemical Fingerprinting

Our additional testing service includes:Metals, Polyaromatic Hydrocabons (PAHs), Semivolatile Organics (SVOCs), Pesticides, Anions, Wet Chemistry Tests, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Contact: Amy ParekhPross who is a regular speaker on webinars and at our spring conference.

T: 07543 223438

E: Amy.PP@constructiontesting.co.uk or enquiries@constructiontesting.co.uk www.constructiontesting.co.uk

ASP ENVIRONMENTAL*

A mid sized environmental consultancy with a high level of expertise in a diverse range of areas, including land contamination, spill response, construction, acoustic and vibration, fuel storage and supply. The ASP team consists of a highly experienced and dedicated group of multi-disciplinary consultants and contractors working seamlessly together.

Based in Suffolk, Bedfordshire and Lincolnshire, ASP works closely with its client base across East Anglia and Central England. In this way we provide a positive disruptive alternative to current market practices, putting customer focus, service, agility, innovation and cost at the heart of everything we do. Since formation, ASP has worked extensively with selected insurance industry and leading national infrastructure contractors to deliver consultant led contracting solutions for private, public and MOD clients.

As a registered OFTEC business, with >70 of staff OFTEC qualified engineers, ASP is uniquely placed to

support clients with oil installation concerns, while minimising the environmental, cost and carbon impact. ASP continues to invest in their people, capability, equipment and technology, acting as an agile and innovative solution provider across the region.

www.aspenvironmental.co.uk

MEMBERSNEW MEMBERS

YELLOWSTONE ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS*

Yellowstone Environmental Solutions* - specialists in hazardous and nonhazardous waste streams and provide high quality, innovative waste solutions to their customers. Working from their fully purpose built waste management facility with its extensive site licence and in accordance with their ISO

accreditations and Health & Safety procedures.

Yellowstone offer innovative recycling and recovery options on a local, regional and national scale using ADR and Non ADR tanker support. www.yellowstonesolutions.co.uk

EFI GLOBAL*

efficient outcomes, and can respond to environmental, fire and engineering incidents with longterm solutions.

leader in the industry, and we’re committed to building strong, lasting partnerships with each of our clients.

EFI Global offers the widest range of engineering, fire investigation, environmental, failure analysis, accident reconstruction and laboratory testing services available in one company. With more than 150 environmental professionals on our team, we’re able to serve the public and private sectors on a global scale.

Our experts specialise in a range of professional and highly technical consultancy services, and are fully committed to delivering practical solutions to complex issues. By combining our international experience with local expertise, we’re able to drive faster, more

Each of EFI Global’s environmental consulting services were designed to help property owners, managers and developers maintain compliance with current environmental regulations, minimise risks and optimise business objectives. We handle all types and sizes of environmental claims — wherever they may occur — including contamination of land, water, air and building structures, damage to protected biodiversity and habitat, and environmental liabilities associated with land purchase and facility acquisitions.

Using award-winning technology to provide customised reporting and analytics, video footage, drone and satellite imagery, and video conferencing, our experts are on call and ready to respond to most projects within 48 hours, regardless of location. We’re proud to be a

Contact: Andrew Kyle T: 07500 031509

E: andrew.kyle@efiglobal.com www.efiglobal.com/uk

NEW MEMBERS

CRAWFORD ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY*

Is a specialist consultancy service managing the technical aspects of environmental incidents on behalf of Insurers, self-Insureds, private companies and governmental agencies.

Backed by extensive technical expertise, the team is trained in specialist areas of environmental and pollution issues and offers a tailored response suited to each incident and its wider impact. Many members already work in partnership with Crawford & Company as independent consultants or environmental contractors to ensure the approach to each incident is sensitive, appropriate and data driven.

www.crawco.co.uk/services/ environmental

Combining technical expertise with pragmatism and integrity, Crawford Environmental Consultancy is a multi-disciplinary team that combines technical expertise, pragmatism and integrity. Our approach ensures delivery of outstanding customer service, rapid and agile emergency spill response, proportionate and thorough environmental investigation and pragmatic, costeffective remediation design.

Our integrated and strategic approach to environmental claim investigation, enables us to provide rapid and meaningful technical advice from the outset, resulting in reduced project lifecycles and expenditures.

Our environmental consulting service is also able to help private and commercial customers including water utility companies, property developers, land agents, infrastructure developers and fuel distributions companies with:

Land quality assessments (contaminated land and geotechnical assessments)

Water level management plans Water quality investigations and monitoring

Due diligence surveys and environmental audits Environmental regeneration projects

Waste assessment and disposal Expert witness

By partnering with Crawford Environmental Consultancy you can be confident you will receive a high quality, consistent service using highly skilled environmental consultants to control cost, remove unnecessary delay, provide outstanding customer service, protect clients and protect the environment.

Email: cec@crawco.co.uk

www.crawco.co.uk/resources/ crawford-environmentalconsultancy

SPILLAWAY PROJECTS

OBy reducing the need for removal off-site the products save time, money and carbon impact in comparison with many other solutions. The range includes cleaner/degreasers, bioremedial agents and adsorbents to deal with contamination by hydrocarbons –

SpillAway Projects is a b2b distributor of responsible solutions for industry focused on sustainablity to improve carbon footprint, doing things a better way. We’re particularly known for the SpillAway Brand bioremedial products for clean-up of hydrocarbon or/and Fats Oils and Greases. These bring the natural benefit of bacterial remediation to the point of contamination to speed up nature’s own remedy.

Providing expert advice and support on the assessment and mi�ga�on of environmental impacts� ris�s and lia�ili�es. www.oracle-environmental.com