Response to Marine Oil Spills: At-sea response

Summary

The video explores global oil consumption and the severe environmental impacts of oil spills. It discusses response strategies, including containment and recovery, dispersants, and in-situ burning. Emphasizing the need for rapid action and well-planned responses, the video showcases techniques and tools used by specialized teams. Real-life examples, such as the Sea Empress and Deepwater Horizon incidents, illustrate the effectiveness and limitations of different methods. The importance of expert planning, ongoing re-evaluation, and understanding the trade-offs in response strategies is highlighted to minimize environmental damage.

Takeaways

• 🌏 Global oil consumption is massive, reaching four billion tonnes annually, highlighting the scale of potential environmental impacts from spills.
• 🚢 Oil spills, though infrequent, can have severe consequences for the environment, livelihoods, and local economies when they occur.
• ❓ The series poses critical questions about the considerations needed for oil spill response, including expertise, techniques, and planning for minimal impact.
• 🛑 Time is of the essence in oil spill response; quick action is key to limiting damage, with a narrow window to act before oil spreads or weathers.
• 🧰 Specialized equipment and trained teams are essential for effective oil spill response, with equipment often pre-packaged and ready for immediate deployment.
• 🚤 Containment and recovery are ideal responses to oil spills, but they are challenging due to oil's rapid spread and changing properties at sea.
• 🔄 Booms and skimmers are primary tools for containing and recovering oil, with booms acting as barriers and skimmers removing oil from the surface with minimal water intake.
• 🌊 The effectiveness of booms and skimmers can be limited by weather conditions, currents, and the need for precise vessel coordination.
• 🔥 In-situ burning is an alternative response method that can remove large oil accumulations under specific conditions, as demonstrated during the Deepwater Horizon incident.
• 🌡️ The use of dispersants can reduce the impact on wildlife and shorelines but requires careful consideration of potential marine environmental effects.
• ♻️ The decision to use dispersants or other response methods involves a Net Environmental Benefit Analysis, weighing the benefits against environmental impacts.

Q & A

How much oil is consumed globally every year?

Globally, we consume four billion tonnes of oil every year.

What are the potential impacts of oil spills on the environment, livelihoods, and local economy?

Oil spills can have severe impacts on the environment, affecting marine life and ecosystems. They can also affect livelihoods by disrupting industries such as fishing and tourism, and can negatively impact the local economy due to cleanup costs and loss of business.

What is the ideal response to an oil spill at sea?

The ideal response to an oil spill at sea is containment and recovery, which involves removing the oil from the marine environment before it reaches the shore.

Why is it challenging to contain and recover oil in water?

Containing and recovering oil in water is challenging because oil spreads out quickly and can cover many square kilometers in just a few hours. Additionally, oil weathers at sea, changing its properties and creating a narrow window of opportunity for response.

What is the importance of having the right equipment and trained teams for oil spill response?

Having the right equipment and trained teams is crucial for an effective oil spill response. The equipment needs to be readily available and properly used, while trained teams ensure that the response is managed effectively and that the right techniques are applied in a timely manner.

What are some of the techniques available for containing and recovering oil spills?

Techniques for containing and recovering oil spills include the use of booms to act as floating barriers, skimmers to recover oil from the sea surface, and mechanical grabs for very viscous weathered oil. Rigid sweeping arms can also be used to guide floating oil towards an integrated pump.

How effective can booms be in containing oil spills under normal weather conditions?

Booms can be very effective in normal weather conditions when there is a thin oil layer, allowing for more oil to be collected into the apex for recovery.

What are dispersants and how do they help in reducing the impact of oil spills on the environment?

Dispersants are chemicals that reduce the amount of wave energy needed to break up an oil slick into small droplets. They are sprayed from vessels or aircraft and help to dilute the oil into the water column, reducing the impact on sea birds, mammals, and sensitive shorelines.

What was the outcome of using dispersants during the Sea Empress oil spill incident in 1996?

During the Sea Empress incident, 445 tonnes of dispersant were used, which successfully removed between 18,000 and 27,000 tonnes of oil from the sea surface and dispersed it into the water column, resulting in a net environmental benefit.

What is in-situ burning and how was it used during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?

In-situ burning is an alternative response technique that involves igniting oil on the water's surface to remove substantial amounts of oil. During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in-situ burning was used in about 400 burns, eliminating around 30,000 to 50,000 tonnes of oil, or about 5% of the total spilled volume.

How is the decision made to stop an oil spill response operation?

The decision to stop an oil spill response operation is based on a technical assessment of whether further efforts are reducing the impact of the oil or mitigating pollution damage. If the response is no longer effective or the environmental trade-offs are not favorable, the operation may be halted.

What is the Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) and why is it important in oil spill response?

The Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) is a method used to evaluate the environmental trade-offs of different response strategies. It helps in making informed decisions about the use of techniques like dispersants or in-situ burning, ensuring that the chosen response provides the greatest overall benefit to the environment.