New plan for marine oil spills
Cabinet has approved the new Draft National Marine Pollution Contingency Plan that will replace Namibia's first National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) which has become inadequate to effectively manage the fast evolving risk profile driven by the growth of the Walvis Bay port.
The NOCSP was approved by Cabinet nearly a decade ago and provided for a coordinated and integrated national system for dealing with oil spills in Namibian waters and was characterised by willing and effective cooperation between government and the industry.
The system is no longer sustainable.
“Unfortunately, the above economic activities also mean that the risk of a serious marine pollution, not only from oil but also from hazardous and noxious substances, is greater than before. “This threatens our marine resources and our coastline, which - in its entirety - is classified as a national park and is endowed with many biological and socio-economic resources,” the new draft plan states. Namibia had to review its marine pollution preparedness and response system in order to make it more responsive to the prevailing risk scenarios and align it to international best practices. The new national plan adopts a sustainable funding model while recognising the need to develop and maintain a shared responsibility, and the commitment of all stakeholders in order to provide effective marine pollution prevention, preparedness and response services in Namibia, the region and internationally. The 1995 hull failure incident involving the cargo vessel Irene, wherein 700 metric tons of heavy fuel oil (HFO) was released into Namibian waters, highlighted the need for Namibia to develop and sustain a coordinated and integrated system for preparing and responding to ship-sourced pollution incidents.
STAFF REPORTER
The NOCSP was approved by Cabinet nearly a decade ago and provided for a coordinated and integrated national system for dealing with oil spills in Namibian waters and was characterised by willing and effective cooperation between government and the industry.
The system is no longer sustainable.
“Unfortunately, the above economic activities also mean that the risk of a serious marine pollution, not only from oil but also from hazardous and noxious substances, is greater than before. “This threatens our marine resources and our coastline, which - in its entirety - is classified as a national park and is endowed with many biological and socio-economic resources,” the new draft plan states. Namibia had to review its marine pollution preparedness and response system in order to make it more responsive to the prevailing risk scenarios and align it to international best practices. The new national plan adopts a sustainable funding model while recognising the need to develop and maintain a shared responsibility, and the commitment of all stakeholders in order to provide effective marine pollution prevention, preparedness and response services in Namibia, the region and internationally. The 1995 hull failure incident involving the cargo vessel Irene, wherein 700 metric tons of heavy fuel oil (HFO) was released into Namibian waters, highlighted the need for Namibia to develop and sustain a coordinated and integrated system for preparing and responding to ship-sourced pollution incidents.
STAFF REPORTER
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Namibian Sun
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