§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many permanently equipped vessels are available in the United Kingdom to tackle(a) oil, (b) chemical and (c) diesel spillages at sea; and where they are stationed; [91597]
(2) how many anti-pollution vessels there are to deal with (a) chemical and (b) oil spills within five hours sailing time of Lyme Bay; [91601]
(3) what emergency plans are in place to deal with chemical spillages that may occur off the United Kingdom coast; and what defences are in place to prevent such incidents; [91603]
35W(4) how many incidents of (a) chemical, (b) oil and (c) diesel spillage have occurred in United Kingdom waters since 1997. [91604]
§ Mr. JamiesonCounter pollution operations at sea are best dealt with through the aerial spraying of dispersants. However, ships with a counter pollution capability to support the recovery of spillages can be resourced from commercial shipping companies, oil spill response organisations and ports. The numbers and locations will vary depending on the primary role of these ships. In Lyme Bay, for instance, craft with a counter pollution capability may be available in the ports of Plymouth, Poole, Weymouth or Portland, but there are no ships solely dedicated for that purpose. The Government has substantial counter pollution stockpiles with mechanical recovery resources to assist in the collection of marine pollution from the sea.
Year No.s of Pollution Incidents Incidents where source could be identified (percentage) Incidents from offshore oil and gas installations Mineral Oils (percentage) Chemicals (percentage) Garbage (percentage) Vegetable/animal oils (percentage) Other substances (percentage) 2001 678 87 419 95.5 1.3 0.4 0.3 2.4 2000 743 88 456 95 0.7 0.5 0.4 3
Year Nos. of Pollution Incidents Incidents where source could be identified Incidents from offshore oil and gas installations Incidents where an estimate of the quantity of oil was reported Incidents where 100 gallons or more were spilled 2001 678 614 419 544 67 2000 743 627 456 543 77 1999 747 748 382 541 69 1998 801 609 359 613 87 1997 723 578 351 553 100
§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what specific funding is available to coastal local authorities for counter-pollution measures and clean-up operations for(a) oil, (b) diesel and (c) other spillages at sea; [91599]
(2) what steps he has taken to train (a) local authority staff and (b) staff of other interested organisations, in the management, containment and clearance of (i) oil, (ii) chemical and (iii) diesel spillages at sea. [91598]
§ Mr. JamiesonMy Department does not make any specific funding available to coastal local authorities for counter-pollution measures. However, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) provides accredited training courses for the maritime local authorities to prepare them for such operations. These courses are primarily based on a response to oil pollution, but the response issues covered are also pertinent to chemical spills. The MCA runs two specific areas of training for local authorities:
36WCompanies and shippers involved in the carriage of hazardous chemicals have plans and equipment for dealing with emergencies whilst the substances are in transit. If an incident escalates expertise and facilities from relevant industries and the MCA are available. The MCA's main response would utilise the specialist chemical equipment in the UK's 'at sea' stockpile and its contracted chemical strike team, who provide both manpower and advice. The UK's National Contingency Plan and the Secretary of States Representative's (SOSREP) powers extend to chemical incidents.
The MCA annually commissions a report on the different types of marine pollution in the waters around the British Isles from the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS). In the ACOPS Report the type of pollutant has been classified since 2000 into mineral oils, chemicals, garbage, vegetable/animal oils and other substances. Oil and diesel are categorised into the same group. Before 2000 the ACOPS report did not include this level of detail.
The figures from the ACOPS report since 1997 for spillages in UK waters are as follows:
Oil Pollution, Contingency Planning and Response
A residential training course (five days) for local authority management staff involved in contingency planning and oil spill response. This is run four times a year at locations around the UK, including the MCA's Training Centre in Dorset.Oil Pollution Response
A two day hands-on training course in counter pollution response for local authority staff, who would expect to be involved in supervising beach clean-up operations and protective booming operations. These are run eight times a year at locations hosted by maritime local authorities.In the last 24 months the MCA have trained over 150 people on the oil pollution, contingency planning and response courses. The MCA have also run two day hands- on training courses for councils in the following areas since the summer of 2000: Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Hampshire, West Sussex, Cumbria, Somerset, Argyll and Bute, Fife, Kent, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall, Essex, Teeside, Highland and South Wales. Before April 2002 courses will also be run in Inverclyde, North East Scotland, North Devon, Humberside, the Isle of Wight and Dorset.
37WAdditionally, the MCA runs a series of decision making in oil spill response courses for the statutory nature conservation bodies, the environmental regulators, the Government Fisheries Departments and the public health authorities in the UK. These are designed to brief, train and prepare the staff of these agencies for their role in the multi-agency response to a pollution incident from shipping. The MCA have run nine of these courses since the beginning of 2000. The MCA also offer 24 hour incident response advice and support to local authorities and maintain a large stockpile of shoreline clean-up equipment at Southampton and Inverness that can be mobilised to an incident if required. The MCA has published a large range of scientific, technical and operational notices to provide guidance for local authorities on a wide range of response issues.