In October, Sea Alarm, in cooperation with the Oiled Wildlife Response Network (OWRN, Ireland), Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostend (WRCO, Belgium) and ProBird (Germany), facilitated two one-day training courses focusing on the early stages of oiled wildlife response.
In the wake of the sinking of the Flinterstar authorities in Belgium and the Netherlands activated plans to respond to any oiled wildlife. Sea Alarm assisted wildlife responders and authorities in both countries for several weeks following the incident.
In March, the annual meeting between key wildlife response organisations and Rijkswaterstaat took place, bringing together responders and authorities who cooperate on implementing and updating the national plan for response to oiled birds (Samenwerkingsregeling Besmeurde Vogels or SBV).
In October, Hugo Nijkamp attended and chaired the board meeting of Oiled Bird Rehabilitation Netherlands (Stichting Olievogelopvang Nederland-SON). Sea Alarm is advising and assisting SON in firming up its coordinating role in preparedness and response activities in the Netherlands.
In October Sea Alarm and Oil Spill Response (OSRL) organised and facilitated an Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) sponsored daylong workshop on UK oiled wildlife preparedness.
Sea Alarm was asked to present and train on a response procedure created in 2013 to representatives of SEA-PT, the Irish Coast Guard, and interested NGOs during a dedicated full day workshop held in Limerick on 16 May, 2014.
Canmore, Alberta was the site of the first ever, full day wildlife session to be held as part of the Arctic Marine Oilspill Program (AMOP) Technical Seminar. Co-chaired by Dr. Sherri Cox of the University of Guelph and Patrick O’Hara of the Canadian Wildlife Service, this 2014 session featured speakers from the Europe, Australia, the US and Canada.
In May, Tim Thomas gave an invited one day course on Oiled Wildlife Preparedness and Response for the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) at their Marmara Research Centre in Gebze. The special wildlife day session was part of TÜBITAK’s ‘Maritime Accidents-Hazardous Waste Management, Restoration of Contaminated Areas and Wildlife Rehabilitation’ workshop.
In November Hugo Nijkamp and Paul Kelway of Sea Alarm, in cooperation with staff from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, provided several days of training in oiled wildlife response in Trinidad. Local Trinidad press covered this event both in print and online (see links below). Included in the training were response planning and ‘train the trainer’ sessions.
As part of a multi-year contract with Rijkswaterstaat, Sea Alarm designed, prepared and facilitated a two-day exercise event, held in October 2013 in ‘s-Gravezande, the Netherlands, which included three field and two table-top exercises.
In Ireland, Sea Alarm has provided support on oiled wildlife response planning to the Shannon Estuary oil spill response authority .
Sea Alarm has been asked to assist the States of Guernsey in reviewing and updating their arrangements for oiled wildlife preparedness and response. As part of the process, an oiled wildlife preparedness training event and stakeholder meeting was held in mid-September in conjunction with an Oil Spill Response (OSRL) shoreline cleanup training course.