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AMSA outcome 1: Minimising the risk of shipping incidents and pollution in Australian waters

Output 1.3: Capability to respond to marine pollution incidents

AMSA’s Emergency Response Division delivers this output by:

• Managing the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances (the National Plan). This involves providing oil and chemical pollution preparedness and response services in consultation with State/Northern Territory governments, port corporations and authorities, shipping, oil, exploration and chemical industries, and emergency services.
• Participating in the National Plan Management Committee, which undertakes strategic management of the National Plan including setting broad policy directions, recommending funding arrangements to Ministers, and monitoring provision of services by National Plan participants in accordance with the National Plan Inter-Governmental Agreement.
• Chairing the National Plan Operations Group and participating in its three working groups on oil operations, chemical, and environment, as well as discharging the Group’s responsibility for the ongoing day-to-day operational aspects of the National Plan.
• Contributing to environment protection initiatives and education and information sharing on marine pollution prevention.

Operating Environment in 2003-2004

During 2003-2004, AMSA’s delivery of Output 1.3 in relation to preparedness and response to marine pollution incidents was influenced by the following external factors:

• Progress towards international implementation of the Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000 (OPRC - HNS Protocol).
• Final implementation of recommendations in the June 2000 National Plan review report.
• Corporatisation and privatisation of port services by State and Northern Territory Governments in relation to the impact on maintaining marine pollution response capabilities.
• Ongoing change in Australia’s marine pollution risk profile with new port developments and increased importation of oil and chemical cargoes.
  

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AMSA’s Response to the Operating Environment

In response to these external factors in the operating environment, AMSA identified the following objectives and underpinning responses and priority actions to focus its work on achievement of the portfolio outcome of a better transport system for Australia.

Objective 1: A better transport system for Australia by Australia maintaining effective Emergency Response Division arrangements to shipping incidents and to combat ship sourced marine pollution.

AMSA Response 1.1: AMSA to manage the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances.

Priority Actions for Response 1.1

Manage response to marine pollution incidents

During 2003-2004, there were no major ship-sourced marine pollution incidents in Australian waters. However, National Plan equipment and personnel were involved as part of contingency arrangements in response to two shipping incidents. These included the grounding of the small, former hopper barge Karma near Bundaberg on the Queensland coast in November 2003 and the reporting of an oil leak from a small crack in a cargo tank of the tanker Eurydice at Sydney in February 2004.

An AMSA officer was seconded to Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) in Southampton, England, for professional development purposes, when he participated in OSRL’s response to the grounding of the tanker Tasman Spirit off the port of Karachi in Pakistan in July 2003. He worked as part of a five person clean up team dispatched to Karachi after the ship started to break up in August 2003.

There were 17 training programs attended by 293 people conducted by AMSA under National Plan arrangements in 2003-2004. AMSA officers attended a range of National Plan exercises conducted by State authorities. These included Exercise Hesperus in Sydney and Exercise Pilbara Peril in Dampier in July 2003. The Sydney exercise was designed to test New South Wales Guidelines for Places of Refuge and was attended by representatives of government agencies, port, legal and shipping interests. The Dampier exercise was designed to evaluate pollution response and search and rescue arrangements in the Pilbara as well as place of refuge issues.

Other exercises in which AMSA had involvement included Exercise MV Cason in Queensland and Exercise Mobil Esk in Tasmania in November 2003; Exercise MT Hazchem Express and Exercise Jervis Bay, both in New South Wales in December 2003; Exercise Sea Fog in South Australia in December 2003; and Exercise Chemplan in the Northern Territory in June 2004. All were designed to test a range of plans, procedures and arrangements associated with oil and chemical spill response.

Implement relevant provisions of the National Plan Inter-Governmental Agreement formalising administrative and funding arrangements

The Australian Transport Council signed the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances in May 2002. This gave effect to the outcomes of the 2000 Review of the National Plan that made 17 recommendations, all of which have been addressed within the work programs of the National Plan Management Committee and the National Plan Operations Group.

The Committee made a final report on implementation of the 2000 Review in February 2004, which was considered by the Australian Maritime Group meeting in August 2004, with the aim of the report being referred to the next meeting of the Australian Transport Council.

Participate in the National Plan Management Committee and contributing to consideration of strategic management issues in consultation with major stakeholders in the National Plan

The National Plan Management Committee met once during 2003-2004 when major issues progressed included a report reviewing cooperative arrangements under the Inter-Governmental Agreement, National Plan training, and the draft 2004-2005 budget.

Participate in the National Plan Operations Group, including Working Groups on oil operations, chemical, and environment, in consultation with major stakeholders in the National Plan

AMSA chaired two meetings of the National Plan Operations Group during 2003-2004, which considered a diverse range of operational issues. These included:

• Finalisation of Guidelines on the Deployment of Staff between Agencies for incident response purposes.
• Formulation of the Group’s work program.
• Development of an Oil Spill Monitoring Background Paper and Handbook and revised Field Manual for Rescue and Rehabilitation of Oiled Birds.
• Production of two occupational health and safety videos for equipment operators and for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation personnel.
• Adoption of competency based training and skills based training in line with IMO standards.
• Implementation of the updated Oil Spill Trajectory Model including a new version of hydrodynamic software.

NPOG’s Oil Operations Working Group (OOWG) is responsible for addressing operational, technical and administrative issues delegated to it by NPOG and to provide an operational forum to facilitate discussion and interaction between parties to the National Plan. Chaired by AMSA the OOWG met twice, in August 2003 and April 2004. The most significant issue addressed by OOWG was Competency Based Training (CBT) and its adoption on a national basis by National Plan agencies. Although significant work remains to be done prior to its introduction and use on a national basis it is planned to have this work completed during 2005-2006.

The National Plan Environment Working Group is responsible for oversighting the National Plan Research, Development and Technology Program, which aims to undertake research into improving the effective practicable response to oil and chemical pollution incidents in Australia. During late 2003, two projects were completed with the first project involving the development of national guidelines for the sampling and monitoring of areas impacted by maritime oil and chemical spills. A handbook and background paper were produced and circulated to National Plan stakeholders. The second project concerned a literature review of current worldwide trends in marine pollution response that was provided to the National Plan Operations Group members. Two further projects are being undertaken in 2004, with the first involving research into bunker fuel oil spill weathering and fingerprinting and the second examining the impacts of oil spill dispersants on sea grasses.

Participate in State/Northern Territory marine pollution committees

AMSA attended meetings in all States and the Northern Territory during 2003-2004. Attendance at the meetings provided AMSA with an overview of State/NT issues and allowed Authority personnel to update their State/NT colleagues on national and international issues of interest.

Respond to recommendations and feedback from incident response assessment reports and National Plan exercise reports

There were no significant spills in 2003-2004 that warranted preparation of an assessment report that included recommendations to enhance existing response arrangements. One recommendation from Exercise 2002 relating to the development and implementation by PNG of a regional plan for the Torres Strait region to complement Australia’s Torres Plan remains to be actioned.

Regularly review and assess risk profiles in consultation with the States and Northern Territory and industry in relation to changes in port operations, including new port developments and import levels of potential pollutants

AMSA maintains an overview of changes in the profile in the States and the Northern Territory through attendance at various forums, including State Committee meetings. The major activity in 2003-2004 was ensuring that all ports were provided with an agreed quantity of oil spill equipment to allow them to respond to Tier 1 spills, ie those less than 10 tonnes.

Participate in exercises and training programs to give effect to international cooperative agreements with the South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP), New Zealand, Indonesia, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea

The South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) is based in Apia, Samoa, and was established by Pacific administrations to promote environment protection in the region. During 2003, AMSA participated in a joint oil spill equipment assessment in Fiji with the Maritime Safety Authority of New Zealand (MSANZ) on behalf of SPREP to assist in its preparation of a draft Regional Oil Spill Equipment Strategy. AMSA then conducted oil spill equipment assessments in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Kiribati. This work provides guidance to SPREP member countries on the minimum response equipment that they need to ensure their preparedness for oil spills incidents at both national and regional levels.

In May 2004, an AMSA officer attended as an independent assessor for a MSANZ spill commanders training course for senior personnel, which also was attended by two AMSA officers, who successfully completed the course.

Participate in relevant IMO working groups, including the OPRC Convention Working Group, and contributing to implementation of the OPRC Convention and the Hazardous and Noxious Substances Protocol

An IMO Diplomatic Conference in March 2000 adopted the Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances 2000 (OPRC HNS Protocol). This provides a global framework for international cooperation in combating major incidents or threats of marine pollution by substances other than oil. The Protocol requires parties to establish measures to deal with chemical pollution incidents, either nationally or in cooperation with other countries. It will enter into force twelve months after the date when at least 15 States have accepted it.

Australia completed a major revision of its chemical spill contingency plan (Chemplan) in early 2002 in preparation for Australia’s implementation of the Protocol. The National Plan Management Committee endorsed a detailed proposal for implementing the Protocol’s requirements in March 2002, which was endorsed by the Australian Transport Council in November 2002. In August 2003, the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Treaties endorsed Australia taking action to adopt the Protocol and it is anticipated that, following Ministerial approval, Australia will accede to the Protocol in 2005.

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AMSA Response 1.2: AMSA to contribute to the ongoing improvement of Emergency Response Division arrangements aimed at reducing the risk of ship-sourced marine pollution.

Priority Actions for Response 1.2

Implement the National Maritime Place of Refuge Risk Assessment Guidelines for determining places of refuge for disabled and damaged ships

The National Plan Management Committee finalised the National Maritime Place of Refuge Risk Assessment Guidelines for the provision of places of refuge for damaged and disabled ships in 2003 and they were formally endorsed by the Australian Transport Council in May 2003.

The Guidelines are intended to assist Australian maritime administrations, ship masters and owners and the maritime industry in identifying places of refuge in circumstances where an emergency cannot be dealt with at sea and following appropriate procedures to access a place of refuge. A place of refuge is a place where a ship in need of assistance can find favourable conditions enabling it to take action to stabilise its condition, protect human life and reduce the hazards to navigation and to the environment.

The Guidelines complement existing State/Northern Territory arrangements, and are to be applied in a manner consistent with the principles of international law, in particular those relating to the balance of interests between a ship in distress and Australia’s national interest.

During 2003-2004, the operation of the guidelines was tested in exercises and simulated pollution incidents that are regularly conducted under the National Plan.

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PERFORMANCE REVIEW 2003-2004

Output Group 1: Ship Operations Safety and Marine Environment Protection Program

Output 1.3: Capability to respond to marine pollution incidents:

AMSA manages the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances, which involves providing oil and chemical spill preparedness and response services in consultation with State and Northern Territory governments, port corporations and authorities, shipping, oil, exploration and chemical industries and emergency services.

Strategy: Provide a level of response capability consistent with National Plan requirements.
Measure	Performance 2003-2004
Availability of support resources and equipment. (Quality) Target: 95% availability	During 2003-2004, the availability of support resources and equipment was 95%
Implementation of recommendations from reviews of exercises and responses to spills. (Quality) Target: 100% implementation of accepted recommendation	During 2003-2004, all accepted recommendations from National Plan exercises were implemented, with the exception of recommendations related to the Papua New Guinea component of Exercise 2002 in Torres Strait, which are still being progressed with Papua New Guinea.
Number of trained and adequately equipped personnel. (Quantity) Target: 40 national response teams/200 support personnel each two year cycle.	During 2003-2004, more than 40 National Response Team personnel were available and 363 personnel were trained in each two-year cycle.
Cost of maintaining a response capability. (Price) Target: 2003-2004 estimates: $4.740 million	During 2003-2004, the cost of maintaining a response capability was $4.978 million.

 

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