Progress at latest HELCOM Expert Working Group meeting
The Expert Working group on Oiled Wildlife Response (EWG-OWR), which Sea Alarm chairs, recently held its 10th meeting.
Cooperation between Sea Alarm and REMPEC continues
Sea Alarm is pleased to announce that it has recently renewed its MoU with REMPEC, formalising plans to continue their collaboration for a further two years.
Dedicated wildlife session held at Interspill 2018
Interspill 2018, Europe’s triennial conference for oil spill preparedness and response, included a session, chaired by Sea Alarm’s Saskia Sessions-Puplett, devoted to wildlife issues.
Netherlands preparedness project moves forward
Work has begun on the oiled wildlife response programme introduced in our December 2017 newsletter.
Oiled wildlife preparedness and response in the Middle East
In February, Sea Alarm gave a presentation at the 2018 Middle East Technical Forum, organised by Oil Spill Response and Kuwait Oil Company.
Gulf of Mexico spill
On April 20 2010 an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico caused the deaths of 11 people and also a fire which finally destroyed the platform. The safety valves on the sea floor failed to work and did not close the well that had been drilled, out of which thousands of barrels of oil started flowing into the marine environment.
Project with WWF NL
Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon spill started, WWF The Netherlands contacted Sea Alarm and asked if Sea Alarm could help them following the developments. WWF was very concerned with the spill happening so close to the Mississippi Delta and all…
Developments in international preparedness
Sea Alarm has taken further strong steps forward in the development of a set of instruments that can be used for an international mobilisation of oiled wildlife response experts in case of an incident. Sea Alarm’s 24/7 notification and information centre is permanently available for Oil Spill Response Members, which include the globally operating oil companies, but also for any other party in need of advice or expertise.
Oiled wildlife response and responders in the UK
Sea Alarm attended the 2010 meeting of UK Standing Environment Group chairs in London on 3 June. Saskia Sessions was able to make a presentation introducing Sea Alarm to the SEG Chairs new to their posts, explaining our role, recent developments in oiled wildlife response in Europe and to explore possible UK activities in oiled wildlife preparedness.
Revamp of oiledwildlife.eu
As part of an internal project that had started already in 2009, Sea Alarm has been working to develop a total remake of the existing www.oiledwildlife.eu. A new design was developed and some exciting facilities were added. The website now looks totally different and will have many surprises for those of you who frequently visited the old version.
Recommendation on oiled wildlife response planning adopted
At the recent Ministerial Meeting in Moscow, Ministers from all contracting parties to the Helsinki Convention have adopted a new Recommendation called “Integrated oiled wildlife response planning in the Baltic Sea Area”. This Recommendation was developed by Sea Alarm in close cooperation with Estonia and WWF-Finland.OTSOPA 2010
Sea Alarm worked closely together with the Bonn Agreement Secretariat to prepare a paper for the OTSOPA 2010 meeting with a proposal for a new chapter on wildlife response in the Counter Pollution Manual. OTSOPA (Working Group on Operational, Technical and Scientific Questions Concerning Counter Pollution Activities) had requested such a proposal at their previous meeting in 2009. Sea Alarm and the Secretariat designed a questionnaire which was sent to all Bonn Agreement Contracting Parties, in order to get an updated overview of current wildlife response arrangements in the area of the Agreement.