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A joint annual anti-oil pollution exercise, code-named Oilex 2010, was held north of Lung Kwu Chau this morning (December 3) to test responses in combating oil pollution in Hong Kong waters under the Maritime Oil Spill Response Plan.
The Maritime Oil Spill Response Plan, maintained by the Marine Department, is aimed at ensuring a timely and effective response to oil spills in Hong Kong waters.
The Marine Department co-ordinated the exercise. Other government departments - the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Auxiliary Medical Service, Civil Aid Service, Government Flying Service and Hong Kong Police Force - as well as six companies including oil companies, took part in the exercise.
The exercise simulated a scenario in which a 6,840-tonne product tanker bound for Chiwan, Shenzhen, had taken on water in one of its cargo tanks and had to be beached north of Lung Kwu Chau. The oil spill posed threats to the ecology of the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park, shorelines of Lung Kwu Tan, as well as the marine culture zones at Deep Bay.
The oil combat teams responded by setting up a ring of floating barrier booms around the tanker while the tanker owner's salvage teams plugged an underwater gash in the tanker. A second defence line of barrier booms was rigged on the downstream side of the beached tanker to further prevent oil streaks from approaching the marine park. Different techniques of oil spill recovery were practised, including absorption mopping, mechanical skimming, spill hurdling by water jets, application of oil dispersants from launches and a helicopter, and recovery of booms and equipment.
As the location of the exercise was very close to the boundary between Hong Kong and Guangdong, the Marine Department also took the opportunity to test the cooperative actions of the maritime administrations under the Regional Maritime Oil Spill Response Plan for the Pearl River Estuary adopted by the Marine Department and the Maritime Administrations of Guangdong, Macao and Shenzhen. The Guangdong and Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration deployed pollution control vessels to take cleaning actions at the boundary to prevent the spreading of spilled oil and to protect the ecology of the Pearl River Estuary.
Apart from today's on-scene exercise, a simulation on crisis management and communication was completed earlier this week by related government departments to refresh common understanding of the incident command system during a major spill.
Ends/Friday, December 3, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:51
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