Oil and chemical spills
Introduction
Oil occasionally gets spilt at sea and if it does not come ashore it will disperse of its own accord either by evaporation or through the actions of wind and waves. In dealing with an oil spill at sea it is always an option not to treat the oil but to leave it to disperse and degrade naturally.
In circumstances where an oil spill threatens commercial, environmental or amenity interests, intervention may be desirable. The often turbulent nature of United Kingdom waters, however, rules out mechanical recovery and the use of booms as a frequent response strategy.
On the other hand, the turbulence does promote natural dispersion and can aid chemically assisted dispersion. Therefore one way to deal with an oil spill in UK waters is to use an oil spill treatment product.
Oil treatment products
Under the terms of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the Deposits in the Sea (Exemptions) Order 1985, it is a legal requirement that oil spill treatment products (e.g dispersants, sorbents, surface cleaners and bioremediation products) may only be used in UK waters if they have been formally approved for this purpose by the licensing authority i.e. the MFA on behalf of Defra for England and Wales.
Also, specific permission must be obtained from the licensing authority before any such products are used in shallow waters - these are defined in The Deposits in the Sea (Exemptions) Order 1985 as any area of the sea which is less than 20 metres deep, or within one nautical mile of such an area. This includes any use in tidal docks and locks and on beaches, shorelines or structures such as piers and breakwaters.
The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) is the licensing authority for Scotland and the Department of Environment Northern Ireland is the licensing authority for Northern Ireland.
Serious oil spills at sea damage birds and other wildlife. Spraying of appropriate dispersants can protect wildlife by removing oil from the surface but care needs to be taken that this does not in turn cause damage by contaminating fish or smothering life on the seabed. Defra has therefore agreed controls on the manufacture and use of dispersants which are regulated by the Marine and Fisheries Agency as their agent.
Dispersant use in shallow waters is approved by the MFA only after thorough consideration of each case and will include conditions. The MFA can only control oil treatment substances when applied from aircraft, hovercraft, vessels, vehicles and marine structures.
To enable the Agency to deal with a serious oil spill it implements, on behalf of Defra Marine Environment Division, a Marine Pollution Contingency Plan. The aim of the Plan is to provide a mechanism to co-ordinate MFA and Defra's response in major marine pollution incidents where the Maritime and Coastguard Agency lead in the response. The main objectives are to: provide advice to the MCA through their Environment Group; assess the impact on Defra's interests; and brief Ministers and commission relevant monitoring, research and environmental impact assessment.