Technical Library

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.

The Incident Management Handbook (IMH) has been produced by Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) to assist response personnel in the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) internationally.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea to provide a qualitative assessment of the efficacy of dispersant operations using in field monitoring. Included are the safety considerations for dispersant use and a description of the variables involved. Additionally guidance is given on the tools that can be used to indicate whether dispersant is effective at dispersing the surface oil slick.

Monitoring is important to determine:

That the dispersant was applied at the appropriate dosage in the correct locations.

Whether the dispersant is effective.

Decision makers need to be briefed on the observed efficacy of the operation, so that they can make an informed decision on response strategy.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea to provide a qualitative assessment of the efficacy of dispersant operations using visual observations. Included are the safety considerations for dispersant use and a description of the variables involved. Additionally guidance is given on the visual observations that indicate whether dispersant is effective at dispersing the surface oil slick.

Monitoring is important to determine:

That the dispersant was applied at the appropriate dosage in the correct locations.

Whether the dispersant is effective.

Decision makers need to be briefed on the observed efficacy of the operation, so that they can make an informed decision on response strategy.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea. It covers the 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 undertaking containment and recovery operations to combat oil spills at sea. Included are safety considerations for the operations, a brief description of the variables involved in this type of response and advice on how to ensure the most successful outcome.

Offshore containment and recovery can be a useful response strategy to add to the toolkit and will be most successful when: 

The most suitable recovery device for the oil type and weather conditions is selected.

The boom used is well-maintained and deployed by trained operators.

Communications are effective amongst all parties.

Suitable storage is available.

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone undertaking aerial surveillance and oil spill quantification. Aerial surveillance can provide:

Confirmation and location of the oil spill.

Quantification of the volume of the oil on water.

The status of the source.

The degree of weathering of the oil spilt.

Information on the effectiveness of response strategies