WAVES GROUP’S ENHANCED POLLUTION RESPONSE MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES
The phone call that brings a pollution claim is the stuff of nightmares for a vessel owner and their insurers. The damage caused by a pollution incident, both to the environment and the company, can be considerable and the costs can quickly escalate to very high levels.
Clearly, there is a priority to avoid pollution incidents in the first place, but, in the event that a pollution incident does occur, in these environmentally conscious times, the right response is critical. A well-managed response operation can reduce the impact of the pollution, mitigate the costs of the operation and maintain the reputation of the organisations involved.
We are pleased to announce that Allan Stuart and Simon Burnay have recently successfully completed the IMO Tier III (MCA 5/5P) course in Oil Spill Response Management. Allan and Simon are both Naval Architects and Special Casualty Representatives (SCRs) and have extensive experience in major salvage and wreck removal incidents which includes the management and removal of hydrocarbons from casualties and wrecks both on the surface and subsea. Combined with the further practical experience of Brian McJury and Nigel James in managing pollution incidents, this formal training significantly enhances our casualty response capabilities.
Formalising our experience of pollution response management increases our capabilities for reviewing response plans, monitor response operations and managing the response on behalf of our clients, in order to protect their interests. In particular, the course provided excellent insights into effective response command and management, stakeholder engagement and the best response options for different types of pollution.
As well as this practical on-the-ground experience, we combine this with high resolution digital surveys and mapping capabilities to provide enhanced situation assessments for our clients and stakeholders. From online mapping of pollution reports with regular situation updates, through to high resolution subsea surveys (see WAR MEHTAR ) and assessment of pollution risks, we are providing incident critical data to enable enhanced response planning and decisions.
The experience gained from the course has recently been put to successful use in the management of a distressed cargo incident, where we managed the clean-up operation on behalf of the ship owners and their P&I Club following loss of cargo overboard in an area of outstanding natural beauty and national parks. Working closely with national and local authorities, as well environmental groups, we managed the mobilization of the clean-up contractor, across approximately 150 miles of coastline, together with local volunteer groups and organisations to successfully remove the cargo materials that had come ashore in the most cost effective manner possible.
For further information about our casualty response, management and investigation capabilities, please visit our website www.waves.capedigital.co.uk or email us [email protected].
