SPREEX - Spill Response Experience
Overview
Background & policy context:
SPREEX Spill Response Experience was proposed as a coordination action in response to the EC DG Research call after the Prestige accident. On 13 November 2002 the Bahaman-flag tanker PRESTIGE ran into trouble during a storm 34 km off Cape Finisterre and began to leak its cargo of 77 000 tonnes of oil. After drifting for six days along the coast, the tanker broke in half about 225 kilometres offshore, having spilled about 11 000 tonnes of oil.
Several hundred kilometres of coastline were coated in oil sludge by the disaster, especially Galicia but also Asturias, Cantabria and Basque country in Spain as well as several departments in western France. The Prestige accident highlighted EU shortcomings with respect to technologies and in systems and resources for spill response effectiveness.
Objectives:
Objectives of SPREEX, based on existing experience for response to oil spills, were as follows:
- to identify research needs: this requires the identification of the main Oil Spill Response (OSR) key issues and expertise and collection of the relevant state of the art experiences and solutions on each issue;
- to create synergies with existing or on-going research projects included in different research programmes; and
- to generate synergies that may lead to new projects and partnerships between authorities and regulators, end users, universities and researchers.
Methodology:
Project partners identified twenty broad issues which were deemed more relevant for spill response preparedness and effectiveness based on past experiences prior to the Prestige spill.
The issues were developed from four main different themes, later named 'SPREEX pillars':
- the first pillar, organisation and communications, included operations, communications structure, training and legal aspects and places of refuge;
- the second pillar addressed response means technology, vessels, equipment and systems including wreck interventions;
- the third pillar addressed information and communication technologies, emphasizing the need for real time detection and tracking and decision support systems;
- finally, the fourth pillar addressed environmental and socio-economic aspects, with strong links to scientific approach for remediation, effects on the environment and economic aspects of impact assessment and NEBA (Net Environmental Benefit Analysis). Decision support systems were also assigned to this pillar.
Four major partner organisations (SASEMAR, CEDRE, SINTEF and DHI) were appointed as leaders of the four pillars, which were dealt with in separate work packages. Rapporteurs and 'Contributor' partners were designated to each issue selected. State of the Art reports including past experience and ongoing research were prepared and discussed first internally within the partnership, and later, during the mid-term workshop with end users, identifying from each State of the Art the main gaps and end user needs.
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