Marine Emergency Incident Response Breakout Discussion Summary Background The IICWG began its discussion on Marine Incident Response at IICWG-XIV in 2013 when two scenarios were posed to the group for break-out discussions. Both set in the Arctic, the first scenario involved a massive Search and Rescue incident, and the second entailed a major oil spill response. Through this discussion, a lack of background in how a response is conducted was recognized as a challenger amongst the ice service representatives. Attendees decided it was critical to continue this important discussion in 2014. At IICWG-XV, a background presentation was given on how a marine incident response is organized and the international regulations dictating such a response for Search and Rescue and Oil Spills. The goal of the IICWG-XVI Planning Committee was to again continue this topic by bringing in experts from the field. The panel with Oil Spill Response Limited, the leader in global oil spill response, and the International Tank Owners Pollution Federation will provide the members of IICWG with some base knowledge to consider how best the ice services can become engaged with emergency response organizations during an incident. Some items to challenge the breakout groups on this topic are listed here. Several of these same questions were posed in 2013. However, given the advance in knowledge on the topic that we have gained since then, it is ideal to reconsider these questions: In your region, would a commercial vessel have easy access to ice information in the event of an incident? What if they do not have access to the Internet? Are your products distributed by other means? Are points of contact for your ice service easily found on your website in the event of an emergency? How should a response agency contact you? Is the NIC 24-hours resource a viable solution? How difficult would it be for members of your ice service to deploy to a response site anywhere in your area of responsibility to support a response effort? What kind of information would be most useful in an emergency situation in icy waters? What would be most beneficial in terms of spatial resolution and frequency of updates? How far into the future can reliable forecasts be produced and which parameters are most important? What assistance can ice services provide to one another? How should this assistance be requested? Which communication links/lines are available and most useful? Should ice services be formally obligated to lend assistance in the event of an emergency? If so, to what extent? Should they be compensated and, if so, by whom? Are the answers to any of the above questions different depending on the scenario (Search and Rescue or Oil Spill Response)? Introductory Presentations For scheduling reasons, this session was split between three days. The first two introductory presentations were given on the Monday and followed by a plenary discussion. The third
introductory presentation, which served as a refresher, was given on Wednesday and was followed immediately by the breakout sessions. The breakout teams briefed the plenary on their discussions on the Thursday. Oil Spill Response in Ice-covered Waters Miguel Patel of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) gave an introduction to ITOPF and emergency oil spill response (see presentation). ITOPF is a notfor-profit organization based in London funded by the shipping industry. Ninety percent of the world s tankers are members as are a large contingent of container and cargo ships. ITOPF has a world-wide team of experts to: Promote effective response Provide technical advice Monitor spill response and investigate damage to resources Help design and implement post-spill studies and restoration Provide technical assessments of claims for compensation Mr. Patel noted that the window of opportunity for oil spill response strategies in ice can be widened because of slower dispersion Cold temperatures increase oil viscosity and persistence Ice can reduce dispersion and emulsification by dampening waves Ice can reduce the spread and weathering of oil as it is trapped among the floes However, movement of oil trapped in or under ice may be hard to predict He noted the many operational challenges in dealing with an oil spill in ice-encumbered waters: Detecting and tracking oil in ice Finding equipment suitable for the ice environment and personnel skilled in working in harsh environments Wide range of environmental parameters may change response strategies from season to season; health and safety of responders is a major concern in remote locations Access, transport and logistics in remote locations Incident management is complicated by remoteness and communications difficulties Storage, transport and disposal of waste materials produced by the spill and response Mr. Patel noted that spills in remote locations, such as during a trans-arctic voyage, are very different from a spill in an oil exploration or production area where there is likely a concentrated infrastructure. He also gave an overview of various response strategies including: Containment and recovery - complicated if ice floes are present Chemical dispersion - may not be effective if oil is trapped under the ice; it is not always permitted in every country In situ burning - may have a problem with the residue and is not suitable for all ice types; it is prohibited in some jurisdictions Since most spills occur close to coastlines, shore line clean-up is an issue that would be complicated by remote locations, difficulty of access, seasonality and unique shoreline types (e.g. permafrost) Natural recovery may be the only possible or practical response option depending on the location and season
Mr. Patel noted that there is a disparity between current R&D and commercially available preparedness and response capability. He noted the need for modelling expertise in the fate and behaviour of oil in ice, the lack of non-industry stockpiled equipment, vessels and aircraft, and the lack of trained personnel other than in industry. Resources for response are diluted across the Arctic. He finished by noting the need for international cooperation and the initiative of the Arctic Council s Environmental Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) working group to establish the parameters within which each of the response measures works. The Oil Spill Response Toolbox in Ice Infested Waters Mr. Alex Leonard of Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) gave a presentation on the response to oil spills in ice infested waters. OSRL is the largest international industry-funded oil spill cooperative. The company trains in preparedness and response and can respond to spills anywhere in the world with specialized personnel and equipment. It is a tier 3 response organization that is called upon when local and national resources are exhausted or overwhelmed. Although the oil industry has been pulling back from the Arctic recently, OSRL is still being asked to be prepared for it. The current focus is on the near shore but they are also being asked for off shore spill response capability. He noted that not all oil spills are the same and that there is a very limited toolbox of response strategies. Not everything works everywhere but there are tools spread across many scenarios including: Surveillance and monitoring Containment and recovery Shoreline survey and clean-up Dispersant Application In-situ Burning Oiled wildlife response Subsea Well Intervention Shipping incidents can happen anywhere in world so response starts at a very basic level. It is not like a drilling site where everything is in place and plans can be made in advance. The fate of oil generally in the ocean includes sedimentation, stranding, fragmentation, emulsification, dispersion, spread, and evaporation. The effectiveness of dispersants / fragmentation / emulsification is a function of oil type. Stranding is bad especially in remote reasons that are difficult to get to. Responders always try to deal with a spill before it hits land. Oil recovery techniques are more effective on thick oil slicks than on thinly dispersed slicks. Of the various response strategies in dealing with a spill, he noted the following: Ice concentration affects the ability for mechanical recovery considerably; small ice floes prevent oil from getting into a skimmer whereas big floes prevent the skimmer vessel from getting to the spill - forecast of ice concentration changes would be useful Chemical dispersants in ice must be very targeted between the ice floes Could use solid inflation booms in cold water to contain ice for burning however, most jurisdictions are reluctant to allow burning If oil is encapsulated in ice, it becomes stable except for public opinion, it can be left until the ice starts to melt and oil rises to the surface
As for the applicability of countermeasures in various ice conditions, Mr. Leonard showed that: In 0-3 tenths of ice, oil movement is not affected much by the ice and open-water techniques for spill recovery can be used (mechanical recovery, in-situ burning, dispersants) In 3-7 tenths of ice, oil spread is slowed by ice floes but it is difficult to manoeuvre booms; in-situ burning and use of dispersants may be most effective In 7 to 9+ tenths of ice, oil is contained by the ice and thick floes facilitate in-situ burning. Dispersants can also be used to aid mixing. Oil under the ice can present problems for detecting and monitoring but, unless there is a very strong current, it tends to stick to the bottom of the ice and doesn t go far. Oil on ice can also be somewhat easier to deal with since it doesn t go anywhere fast. Ice services should think about these scenarios. They could advise operators on timing of ice seasons and the type of ice that could be present to help define the tools that should be available. This is important for planning tools and preparedness. In a spill response situation in ice infested waters, responders would reach out to ice services for analyses and forecasts of ice conditions. Almost any spill response will be ship-based because of the remoteness. Operators will need to know ice conditions from a logistical standpoint so ships can get to the spill. The success of a response will depend on the ability to predict the ice movement and behaviour. There is a need for oil spill response organizations to be better acquainted with how to access quality ice information to support response operations. Mr. Leonard concluded by noting that, because regulatory issues in the past two decades limit offshore drilling to the open water season, the focus is more on ice avoidance and defence rather than active ice management. Discussion Following these two presentations, a plenary discussion session raised several questions and issues: There has been no real experience with an oil spill during a period of strong ice formation. SIMTF has conducted some experiments but they are not always published. Tests have been conducted in Svalbard for many years. It is known that the oil will become encapsulated in the ice over time but the real question is the impact that the release of hot oil will have on ice formation. Biological agents are follow-on from dispersants. Dispersants break the oil down o microbes can eat it. There has been little research done with bacterial dispersants under the ice. There does not seem to be much difference in their effectiveness between cold and temperate waters. As long as there is a food source, the bacteria will do their job. However, most operators are reluctant to use bacteria because of possible negative impacts - spraying invasive organisms into the water is not encouraged. Detection of oil under ice by electromagnetic remote sensing is not a major issue. If the oil is under the ice, then it likely came from a point source release so you know where to look for it. Some research is being done using underwater drones. Recovery of oil from under ice depends on whether it is encapsulated in the ice. In considering the length of time that ice service support may be required, the type of oil spilled is very important. Once oil is on land, cleanup takes long but no ice
resource is needed. When it is mobile, the support is needed but does not go on as long. A practical operational issue is the amount of daylight available to work safely. As winter falls in the Arctic, days become very short. The vast majority of spills are small spills from small vessels. In these cases, the incident typically only lasts a few days. Larger spills, or spills that occur during freeze-up, could conceivably require a response that lasts months. The type of ice information needed for any particular spill is very dependent on the individual circumstances. Ice charts are not often designed for the types of information responders need e.g. there are no drift arrows and the scale is often not suitable. A forecast of at least 24 hours will be essential in most cases. It is important to develop relationships, such as between ice services and oil spill responders, before an incident happens. Oil spill response plans are written for every situation and it is important that the means to access quality ice information is included in the plan. Contact lists are important. In a response scenario, an ice expert is needed to be involved with the response and to provide tactical support. In the Antarctic, not much can be done due response because of the remoteness. In one recent spill, there was not much oil spilled but the Chilean Navy could only monitor it. A re-supply vessel could be carrying several thousand tonnes of fuel oil. It would be good for the ice services and the oil spill response community to design training exercises together rather than just using pre-packaged exercises. Marine Emergency Incident Response Refresher Because there was a two day gap between the introductory presentations and the breakout discussion session, Gabrielle McGrath provide a brief refresher to help the breakout teams focus their thoughts. Her presentation recalled discussions on emergency incident response at the previous two meetings as well as the presentations by Miguel Patel and Alex Leonard. She also described the Incident Command System of the United States before challenging the groups to address the issues that have been raised. Discussion Summary Four breakout groups discussed the topic for 90 minutes after which each group briefed the plenary on their discussions. Although this meeting focussed on oil spills as the emergency incidents, Search-and-Rescue operations are also included in this issue. The groups noted that the only real difference, as far as the ice services are concerned, is the timeliness of the response. SAR tends to happen with a much faster tempo than an oil spill. One group noted that there are three scenarios where IICWG cooperation could be useful: An incident that spans multiple national jurisdictions such as an spill drifting across a border An incident in international waters where multiple parties may be involved the responsible NAVAREA, the holder of the closest assets that can respond, the ship owner, government agencies representing passengers (in the case of a cruise ship) An incident that overwhelms an ice service because of its complexity, magnitude, or duration
In the event of an incident, all ice services should be notified so that they can be prepared to assist if called upon. Also, countries not involved in the incident should be prepared to release satellite data orders so the affected country can get all the data it needs. We would need to set up a notification system to enable this. The groups noted that the report of an incident could come from many sources including the Coast Guard, Navy, ship owners, marine traffic centers or even the public. Since some ice services are not staffed 24/7, the NIC, which is staffed around the clock, can serve as a good backup to national links. The use of common formats and look and feel of products, adoption of best practices and as much standardization as possible is important so that the incident command gets the same information from different services. Within their own countries, ice services should make responders aware of what is and could be available. Generally, commercial vessels will have access to information via Internet, NAVTEX, etc. Marine traffic personnel would often know something about the incident location, even if not the exact location, and can often be in communication with the vessel. Short term forecasts (24 hours and out to 3 days) are most the most essential need but long term forecasts including for freeze-up and break-up are also needed especially for planning and emergency preparedness purposes. A 12-24 hour update cycle would likely be sufficient. Most ice services indicated that they could spare an ice expert to travel to an incident scene for a short period of time if necessary. Corresponding ice services could assist if the response overwhelmed the host service. Some ice services have expertise that others do not (such as aircraft visual reconnaissance, experience with a particular remote sensor, or modelling expertise). In some situations, this expertise might be valuable to borrow. However, it was also noted that it might be more important for the ice experts to remain at their centres where they have all the necessary tools and infrastructure to provide the best information. On scene, it is most important to have a knowledgeable person to properly communicate with the incident commander. The relationships to promote this kind of sharing have been developed through the IICWG. In an emergency incident, it would be important for all involved parties to share their information. Satellite data, aircraft over-flights and in-situ data would be essential to all. It is important that all agencies, especially the ice services, have their information in common formats that can be ingested into others systems. There must be a unified command structure that matches the tempo of the operation. Until local observing capacity arrives on scene, responders must rely on forecasts to advise on ingress and egress routes. High resolution satellite data is needed over the local area of the incident but wider coverage necessitating a lower resolution is needed for a much broader area to support transportation to and from the scene. Costs are generally covered by the parties responsible for the incident. Each country has means to enforce these rules. Ice services should be formally obligated to assist for safety of life and environmental disasters. Communications between ice services could be very helpful. Differing time zones must be considered but could actually be useful in maintaining 24/7 support to an emergency incident response. Technologies such as Sharepoint for document sharing as well as ftp sites could be useful. Ice services should be brought into the emergency response training scenarios so they can better understand what is needed and can communicate what is available. Basic Incident Command Structure training would be beneficial. Sharing experiences from past events is an
excellent training tool and a website with information from past incidents and best practice materials would be useful. Table-top exercises should be used to test cooperation procedures on a good day so we know they will work on a bad day. There was a suggestion to put the ice service phone number on products so it is clear who the user can contact for information. It was also recommended to hold a dry run test of the contact list to ensure that all of the contacts are valid. Regional differences were also noted and the most glaring contrast is between the Baltic Sea and Antarctic waters. In the Baltic, communications between ships, between ships and shore, and between the Baltic ice services are excellent. The area is quite confined and marine traffic control centres have up-to-date information about every ship. Icebreakers are capable and have the best information to act as on-scene commanders in an emergency. In the Antarctic, on the other hand, ice services are not well-linked. Communications with ships and between ships are often difficult. The area is huge and, in recent incidents, it was not always clear who was accountable to direct the response. Communications among parties were adhoc and roundabout and there was no central location to post information. However, the Antarctic situation is improving as a result of these incidents with COMNAP agreeing to coordinate responses. John Falkingham November 16, 2015