The Tiered Response Philosophy - Will it Always Work?¹

The industry philosophy regarding oil spills is to adopt the tiered approach, but will this always be possible? In this paper the author will be examining the required criteria, advantages and possible pitfalls of establishing a Regional Tier 2 response capability to improve the effectiveness of industry response to pollution incidents. In many regions of Oil Industry activity throughout the globe “Mutual Aid” agreements exist between operating companies. Can these not be seen as accomplishing the same thing? But how are the procedures for notification and mobilization established between the authorities, and who is responsible for training and maintenance? Will the response team be ad-hoc or dedicated, from the operating companies experienced at Tier 1 level or from Nationals? There may be legislation from the National Governments concerned with incidents in their national waters. This means the effectiveness of a tier 1 response must not be compromised by removing resources. Response strategies must be considered as neighbouring countries may have differing policies on matters such as dispersant usage. These differences may extend to political disputes and embargoes creating problems in logistics and response management. The range of activities undertaken by the member companies may extend from on-shore “upstream” refining and pipelines in environmentally sensitive areas, to offshore exploration in areas of poor access. Are the oil types similar, and will the risk of third party incidents be covered? There are numerous factors to be considered whilst establishing a cross border Tier 2 service. For those of us used to working in regions of established oil activity, the logistical and diplomatic hurdles can prove to be greater than the operational ones we are used to solving.