The Cyprus Ports Authority, in the context of its Supervisory and Regulatory role, as well as its awareness-raising activities on the issue of marine pollution prevention and response, and with the main focus on safety and environmental protection, participated in exercises on the response to marine oil pollution incidents, which took place in the ports of Limassol, Larnaca and Vasilikos.
The exercises were attended by representatives of the Port Regulation Department of the Cyprus Ports Authority, the Fisheries and Marine Research Department, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, the Environment Department and the companies that manage the port areas in question.
Specifically. [*]In the port area of Zygios, the managing company of Vasiliko Port, Vasiliko Cement Works Public Company Ltd, with the assistance of the marine antifouling services provider VTS Vasiliko Terminal Services. [/LIST]
During the exercises, the Companies' Emergency Plan was implemented to respond to an oil spill moving from the land/shore to the sea with a risk of pollution of the coastal front of the areas.
In particular, the exercises involved mock incidents of oil spills at sea, during ship oiling operations at the managing companies' berths.
In all three exercises, a barrage was first dropped in order to contain the virtual oil spill, followed by approaches by the anti-fouling vessels in order to pump out polluted waters and recover the floating oil spills and, finally, a floating pneumatic-type barrage was deployed, which was towed by the above-mentioned antifouling vessels, in order to form (U) in terms of concentration of oil products and their subsequent recovery by means of a skimmer through the oil transport pipes to a storage tank for collection by a licensed waste collection company.
In conclusion, it is noted that in all the exercises carried out it was evident that the emergency preparedness of all three marine pollution response service providers for marine oil pollution incidents of at least level 1 (localised small-scale incident), as well as the levels of alertness and immediate response for accident response in the seaport areas are at a high level.
(ΕΠ/ΣΧ)
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