Technical Library

This paper examines the increasing risks of oil spills from the growing vessel traffic and exploration and production activities in Southeast Asia against the current level of preparedness in the region. In doing so, the author will share the experience gained from working on various oil spill response planning and preparedness projects with the Governments and industry in the region with lessons learned, current developments and recommendation for improvements.

Stretching from Singapore and the Strait of Malacca chokepoint in the southwest to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast, the South China Sea is one of the most important energy trade routes in the world. Almost a third of global crude oil and over half of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes through the South China Sea each year. Coupled with the significant economy growth from China, that is the world’s largest oil importer, protecting the flow of oil becomes a prime consideration of the South East and East Asia governments. All of these factors make the South China Sea to hold one of the highest potential for oil spill, be it by quantity of oil or frequency of energy activities. This paper provides an overview of the oil industry's response to the growing energy activities in the South China Sea using case studies to illustrate the situations that are still occurring in practice.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone who is involved in oil spill clean up and management of waste generated in such an incident.

The aim of this document is to highlight waste management issues associated with oil spill clean-up operations. Included are the sources of waste, how waste should be collected, storage issues and options for disposal and the safety considerations for recovery of waste.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea. Basic coverage of set-up, spraying and maintenance are included to assist the operator in the safe, efficient and effective use of this response tool.

Dispersants are chemicals designed to change the black oil that is floating as a layer on the sea surface into a plume of small droplets that move into the water column to a depth of 5 – 10m.

This cloud of oil will quickly be diluted to a low concentration where it will be naturally degraded reducing its impact to the environment by decreasing the:

Persistence of the oil in the environment.

Risk of oil impacting shoreline.

Volume of waste created.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone who is conducting shoreline protection or clean-up operations. Included are the safety considerations for shoreline clean-up, environmental considerations and operational guidance.

This Field Guide is intended to be used by anyone seeking an overview of the strategic and technical aspects of Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT). Included within, is information on the key steps of SCAT; from how to prepare for shoreline surveys, through to how to conduct and document these surveys.

This Field Guide is intended to be used by anyone seeking an overview of the operational and technical aspects of oil spill response in extreme cold environments. Included is information on the key steps of cold weather response; from how oil behaves in low temperatures to how to prepare for an oil spill, along with advice on how to respond to ensure the most successful outcome in cold weather environments.

Responding effectively to oil spills in cold weather requires personnel who are adequately trained, sufficient resources which are appropriate for the environment and prior planning to determine the most suitable response options. To ensure a successful cold weather response, it is important to: 

Adhere to advice on health and safety aspects of all oil spill response activities

Prepare and train for predicted risks

Select and advise on the response techniques most suitable to the environment and oiling conditions

Ensure communication is effective among all parties

This short field guide is appropriate for anyone seeking an overview of the strategic and technical aspects of oil spill response. Included is information on the key steps to oil spill response, the behaviour of oil during a spill, how to prepare for an oil spill and advice on how to respond to ensure the most successful outcome.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone who is conducting In-Situ Burn (ISB) operations to combat oil spills at sea. Included are the safety considerations for ISB use, guidance on equipment use and operational requirements.

This short Field Guide is intended to be used by anyone seeking an overview of the strategic and technical aspects of oil spill response within the inland environment. Included is information on the key steps to inland response, how to prepare for inland operations, and the optimal response techniques for the containment and recovery of oil in different inland environments.