Damage-limitation barriers employed along the coast.
If an oil spill occurs from an offshore installation, we will devote all our efforts towards first preventing its spread. If parts of a slick should approach land, new damage-limitation barriers will be established according to a carefully planned system.
The aim is to prevent the oil beaching. However, if this happens we have both comprehensive contingency resources and several methods at hand for oil recovery and beach cleaning. Several factors influence how this work is carried out.
- Oil discharge conditions
- Weather conditions
- The properties of the oil
- The presence of high-priority natural species and habitats
- The spreading and dispersion of the discharge
If the oil reaches the coast and the beaches, it will have been drifting for several days from the point of discharge and will thus be in the form of slicks distributed over a large area.
The mapping of occurrences of vulnerable species and habitats is now an important factor in enabling us to prioritise our preventive measures as rapidly as possible. The protection of vulnerable natural habitats with high conservation value will be assigned priority. First and foremost, this will apply to areas where there is a high probability of the oil reaching land.
If there is a risk of oil contacting the shoreline it will be important to reduce the amount of surface oil as much as possible. Various types of booms and skimmers are also utilised in the coastal zone, and these are organised to ensure the best possible protection of the most important areas.
In recent years, several new systems have been developed which are specially adapted for use in coastal areas, and the industry has also developed new equipment which can be operated using a single fishing vessel. This can make a contribution towards more efficient oil spill recovery.
In this new concept, known as “InnsatsGruppe Kyst” (Coastal Work Group) we are collaborating with the Fishermen’s Association in Northern Norway and NOFO to build up a new, permanent contingency organisation, in which fishing vessels from Finnmark will contribute to the oil recovery operation.
In combination with stand-by vessels and external oil storage barges, the fishing vessels will operate light and mid-weight boom systems.