SANCHI: The ITOPF Perspective
Alex Hunt, Technical Team Manager© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP

TANKER SPILLS
140120Tanker Spills: 7 tonnes ‐ > 700 tonnes

Number of spills

100
80

78.8

60

45.4
35.8

40

18.1

206.60
1970

1973

1976

1979

>700 tonnes

1982

1985

1988

7‐700 tonnes

1991

1994

1997

2000

2003

2006

2009

2012

2015

Average number of spills per year by decade1RECENT SPILLS

18 INCIDENTS IN 12 MONTHS• TANKER = 8 (4 CARGO SPILLS)• NON‐TANKER = 10 (8 BUNKER SPILLS)SANCHI INCIDENT© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP• EN ROUTE ‐ IRAN TO SOUTH KOREA• CARGO ‐ 111,388 MT CONDENSATE• COLLISION WITH CF CRYSTAL• ROUGHLY 160 NM OFF SHANGHAI• BREACH OF CARGO TANK & EXPLOSION2SANCHI INCIDENT© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP

CARGO ONBOARD• CONDENSATE FROM SOUTH PARS GAS FIELD• TWO PRODUCTS: PHASE 19 AND PHASE 12• SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 0.7286 & 0.7338• VAPOUR PRESSURE: 11.8 PSI (GULFAKS CRUDE: 6 PSI)
• DISTILLATION: 50% AT 123°C / 90% AT 270°C• BOTH CLASSED AS NON‐PERSISTENT (FUND CRITERIA)

3WHAT IS CONDENSATE?

• LOW‐DENSITY VOLATILE LIQUID HYDROCARBONS OCCURRING WITH NATURAL GAS• EXTRACTED ALONGSIDE CRUDE OIL OR SEPARATED FROM NATURAL GAS• LOW VISCOSITY – CONSISTENCY OF WATER – AND LIGHT IN COLOUR• HIGH VALUE ‘CRUDE’ OILS – ‘NATURAL GASOLINE’ – LESS REFINING NEEDED• USED IN PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY AND TO DILUTE HEAVY CRUDE OILS
• PRODUCED WORLDWIDE – RUSSIA, MIDDLE EAST, USA, AUSTRALIA, NORTH SEACONVENTIONSCARRIAGE• MARPOL ANNEX I – CARRIED IN CRUDE OIL TANKERSCOMPENSATION• NON‐PERSISTENT OIL – CLC AND FUND CONVENTIONS DO NOT APPLY• CONDENSATE WOULD BE COVERED BY HNS CONVENTION WHEN IN FORCE• BUNKER SPILLS COVERED BY BUNKERS CONVENTION (IN CONTRACTING STATES)

4PREDICTED FATEResidueDispersion

Evaporation

INSTANTANEOUSMAUICONTINUOUS
ALGERIANMAUIALGERIAN• ‘WEATHERING’ MODEL RUN TO PREDICT FATE (ADIOS2)• USED LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS, AMBIENT SEA STATE• SURROGATE OILS USED WITH SIMILAR SPECIFICATIONS: MAUI CONDENSATE (MATCHED °API)
 ALGERIAN CONDENSATE CITGO (MATCHED DISTILLATION)• INSTANTANEOUS AND CONTINUOUS RELEASE SCENARIOS• RESULTS: 70‐85% EVAPORATION ≤15% DISPERSION IN 5 DAYS
• TRAJECTORY MODELLING ALSO CARRIED OUT USING MOTHYACTUAL FATE

© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP5

Global Salvage Consultancy (GSC)

INITIAL RESPONSE© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via
APCRS

SSC

• RESPONSE LED BY CHINA (MOT, MSA, CRS)
• FOCUS ON SAR FOR CREW AND FIRE FIGHTING• PATROL VESSELS ON SITE FOR ALL THREE COUNTRIES• SHANGHAI SALVAGE AND NIPPON SALVAGE ON SITE
• AERIAL SURVEILLANCE: SOA, JCG AND KCG• EXCLUSION ZONE IN PLACE AROUND CASUALTYSOA6SINKING© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP• VIOLENT EXPLOSION AT AROUND NOON 14TH JANUARY• VESSEL ENGULFED IN FLAMES ‐ RESPONSE PULLED BACK
• SANCHI EVENTUALLY SANK ~16:45 TO DEPTH OF 110 M• FIRE CONTINUED BURNING TILL MORNING OF 15TH JANUARY© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP

FUEL OIL SPILLSOAGSC7OIL SPILL RESPONSE• LED BY MSA, OBSERVED BY JCG, KCG• NUMEROUS VESSELS INVOLVED (>60?)• CHEMICAL/ MECHANICAL DISPERSION© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP

TRACKING THE SPILLCOSMO-SkyMedSAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)
2018-01-17
21:11
Interpretation in GISWreck

8FORECASTING
Oil Drift Modelling – using GNOME (NOAA) and satellite image
acquired on January 20th
Prediction for 27th January 2018
Oil position:high probability
probable

Takara‐jima

Wreck

SHORELINE IMPACTS

Takara‐jima

ITOPF
SOA9SHORELINE IMPACTS

SHORELINE SURVEYS

10PRIORITISATION

CLEAN-UP• LED BY JCG & LOCAL AUTHORITIES• P&I CLUB APPOINTED CONTRACTORS• GUIDED & OVERSEEN BY ITOPF + SURVEYORS• CLEAN‐UP WELL‐ORGANISED + EFFICIENT• OPERATIONS CONTINUED UNTIL JUNESOAITOPF

11

VOLUNTEERSITOPF

CLEAN-UP ISSUES

12CLEAN-UP ISSUESRECOMMENDATIONS

13ITOPF ROLE

ITOPF

ITOPF

SANCHI: KEY ISSUES• MEDIA REPORTS – EXAGGERATED IMPACTS• LOCATION – FAR OFFSHORE, TRANSBOUNDARY• POLITICS – INFLUENCE OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT• FOCUS – ON CONDENSATE, BUT ACTUALLY HFO SPILLSOA14CONDENSATE RESPONSE?

• SIMILAR RESPONSE TO OTHER NON‐PERSISTENT OILS• PRIORITY: RISK OF FIRE, EXPLOSIONS, EXPOSURE TO VAPOURS• SHORT TERM PRESENCE IN MARINE ENVIRONMENT – CLEAN‐UP?
• LACK OF CLEAN‐UP TECHNIQUES WITH TECHNICAL MERIT• SOME STRATEGIES ACTUALLY INCREASE RISK ‐ CONTAINMENTENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS?

• SAMPLING & ANALYSIS BY SOA IN CHINA & MOE IN JAPAN• DETAILS OF ANALYSIS, RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS UNCLEAR• PRELIMINARY REPORTS SUGGEST LIMITED (IF ANY) IMPACTS© 2018 China Ministry of Transport via AP15LESSONS LEARNED?

• MAJOR INCIDENTS STILL HAPPENING• TRANSBOUNDARY SPILLS MORE COMPLEX• SHARING INFO + JOINT PLANNING NEEDED• MULTIPLE ISLANDS = DIFFICULT LOGISTICS• COOPERATION => EFFECTIVE RESPONSE• FAIRLY MINOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS16