Wherever oil is produced, transported or stored, the responsible organizations and authorities will usually be required to have dedicated oil spill emergency response plans in place. These plans should identify the actions required in the event of spills of different sizes, techniques for estimating spill size, the response organizations to be informed and possibly mobilized in each instance, management of the incident, the spill combat and containment equipment to be maintained and staff training requirements. The plan will include considerations of the local environment and areas vulnerable to pollution. The plan will also require regular review and updates.

BMT Cordah Ltd has over 10 years' of experience in the environmental aspect of oil spill response and contingency planning. This experience has included provision of environmental advice for major oil spills including the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill, the 1993 Braer spill, the 1996 Sea Empress spill, the 2000 Guanabara Bay spill (Brazil) and the 1999 Estrella Pampeana spill (Argentina). In addition, BMT Cordah has prepared Oil Spill Contingency Plans (OSCP) for many offshore installations in the North Sea in line with the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998.

When preparing an OSCP, BMT Cordah will identify the activities that might give rise to the spillage of specific oils, condensates or fuels; assess the risk represented by these spills, including the use of GIS-based oil spill modelling tools to determine areas vulnerable to pollution; assess the capability of the operator to deal with these spills and prepare OSCPs using our knowledge of response authorities and the appopriate preparedness legislation.