The Port, a government agency and a specialist marine services company work closely to ensure that the Port is well-prepared to respond to any possible incidents. This includes regular training exercises, tabletop simulations, and drills, which involve the participation of all relevant stakeholders.

The companies invested in extra training, showing their commitment to providing an effective and efficient response in the event of an incident.

We conducted an On-Scene Commander, IMO Level 2 equivalent, training course with incident managers, decision-makers, and supervisors from the Port to help all the companies there integrate and work together during a crisis. 

Some of the companies based at the Port already have extensive experience in responding to maritime incidents and provide a range of equipment and services to support the response efforts in the case of an incident of any kind; this includes oil spill response vessels, booms, skimmers, and other specialised equipment. 

During the training, it became clear that the three parties based at the Port collaborate seamlessly through an emergency drill. The delegates' level of knowledge was profound; they knew their roles and responsibilities, and their advanced technology at the Port made tabletop exercises very realistic and facilitated efficient communication. The level of preparedness was impressive. 

The training gave an excellent opportunity to understand the Port's response to an oil spill incident that occurred within the last few years. The team were interested in learning about their initial response and shared their lessons learned. The spill was a significant incident that challenged the response capacity of the Port and its stakeholders, and it was fascinating to hear about their experience and how they overcame the challenges they faced.

For most people, dealing with an oil spill is not their day-to-day job. Regular testing of skills will ensure proficiency is met to deal with the situation. Offering these courses to companies that might one day need to respond to a crisis is essential. Delegates on the course learned about response techniques and principles, existing legislation, addressed specific areas of concern and any new topics that needed to be covered.

Overall, the experience of delivering IMO Level 2 equivalent training at the Port was highly positive and rewarding, and we look forward to collaborating again in the future.