Presentation
Assessment of the Wider Caribbean Region’s Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Capacity
DescriptionThe Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) is an ecologically important and unique area that is highly vulnerable to the impacts of oil spills. Effective preparedness and response to spills are critical to minimizing damage to the region's marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as safeguarding the health and economic wellbeing of its communities.
The Interim Support Project (ISP) is a voluntary initiative managed by Ipieca and funded by operators bp, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Oxy, Shell, and TotalEnergies. The project's aim is to assess the present status of Oil Spill Preparedness and Response (OSPR) capabilities in the WCR at both subregional and national levels as a prerequisite to developing initiatives to advance capacity building throughout the region.
While a few countries in the region have made progress in developing their oil spill preparedness capacity, through national contingency planning (NCP), exercises, and training, the majority of countries in the WCR still have significant gaps and challenges. After assessing risk and analyzing oil response capacity of the region, we investigated industry initiatives in other parts of the world with the possibility of applying them to the WCR.
We divided the project into three phases with individual objectives and timelines for each phase. Phase 1 sought to identify major maritime and petroleum infrastructure to gain a 20,000 foot perspective on the marine and maritime risk profile. This included tanker and cargo shipping lanes, offshore exploration and production sites, marine terminal, oil transshipment facilities, and coastal refineries. Having identified elevated risk areas (and capacity gaps), Phase 2 outlined potential partnership activities, such as the suite of international conventions, Ipieca’s Global Initiative, IMO’s RAC/REMPEITC, and others, to improve national and sub-regional preparedness. Finally, Phase 3 provides key outcomes and a set of recommendations for decision-makers to decide how best to engage stakeholders and advance preparedness in the region.
This paper briefly reviews our objectives and methodology and provides the key findings and outcomes of the study. It serves as an overview and guide for industry engagement in the region and for improving transboundary response. The findings and recommendations from this project are intended to provide insights for developing effective and resilient capacity building programs and activities.
This project's assessment phase has completed, and ongoing engagement will occur throughout 2024. The paper and presentation will be updated in alignment with IOSC timelines.
The Interim Support Project (ISP) is a voluntary initiative managed by Ipieca and funded by operators bp, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Oxy, Shell, and TotalEnergies. The project's aim is to assess the present status of Oil Spill Preparedness and Response (OSPR) capabilities in the WCR at both subregional and national levels as a prerequisite to developing initiatives to advance capacity building throughout the region.
While a few countries in the region have made progress in developing their oil spill preparedness capacity, through national contingency planning (NCP), exercises, and training, the majority of countries in the WCR still have significant gaps and challenges. After assessing risk and analyzing oil response capacity of the region, we investigated industry initiatives in other parts of the world with the possibility of applying them to the WCR.
We divided the project into three phases with individual objectives and timelines for each phase. Phase 1 sought to identify major maritime and petroleum infrastructure to gain a 20,000 foot perspective on the marine and maritime risk profile. This included tanker and cargo shipping lanes, offshore exploration and production sites, marine terminal, oil transshipment facilities, and coastal refineries. Having identified elevated risk areas (and capacity gaps), Phase 2 outlined potential partnership activities, such as the suite of international conventions, Ipieca’s Global Initiative, IMO’s RAC/REMPEITC, and others, to improve national and sub-regional preparedness. Finally, Phase 3 provides key outcomes and a set of recommendations for decision-makers to decide how best to engage stakeholders and advance preparedness in the region.
This paper briefly reviews our objectives and methodology and provides the key findings and outcomes of the study. It serves as an overview and guide for industry engagement in the region and for improving transboundary response. The findings and recommendations from this project are intended to provide insights for developing effective and resilient capacity building programs and activities.
This project's assessment phase has completed, and ongoing engagement will occur throughout 2024. The paper and presentation will be updated in alignment with IOSC timelines.
Event Type
Paper
TimeTuesday, May 14th1:50pm - 2:10pm CDT
Location298-299
Preparedness