National On-Scene Commanders Course in Romania

Territorial Naval Authority Building, Constanta

The Territorial Naval Authority Constanta held it's first combined Search and Rescue, Oil Spill Response and Hazardous and Noxious Substances Exercise in September 2004, which was witnessed by several international observers. Prior to the exercise, The International Maritime Organization supported the delivery of a Training Course for On-Scene Commanders for participants from a range of organizations within Romania. The event was co-ordinated by Kevin O'Connell and John Ostergaard, IMO Senior Technical Advisor on Pollution, with the assistance of Claire Wood from Oil Spill Response Ltd, representing the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA).

Kevin facilitates on a table-top exercise

The thirty three attendees, drawn from government organizations and industry, attended the five day event in Constanta. The course provided an in-depth knowledge on how to command and control a complex oil spill response operation and to ensure a sustainable future for all the contingency planning work done in the country to date. The course provided information on issues relating to national and regional oil spill preparedness, response and co-operation, contingency planning, response management and organization, response policy, oil spill behaviour, fate and effects, assessment of oil spills, shoreline clean-up, transfer, storage and disposal of oil, evidence gathering and documentation, media relations, claims and compensation and termination of a response operation.