© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

CHALLENGES FACING OIL SPILL RESPONSE OPERATIONSDURING THE RECENT COVID PANDEMIC
Petroleum Association of JapanFebruary 2022

Introduction
 Thank you to the PAJ for giving me the opportunity to present
again at this important conference in the Oil Spill calendar.
 My name is Robert Limb; I have been the CEO of Oil Spill
Response since 2013. I started my career in the Oil and Gas
industry in 1980 after graduating with a degree in Chemical
Engineering and I have been fortunate to lived and work across theglobe throughout my career.
 I would like to thank my esteemed colleague Andy Nicoll who
assisted me with this presentation and provided his insights fromresponding to the recent m/v X-Press Pearl incident in Sri Lanka.
© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

2Overview of presentation
 Introduction to OSRL
 Risk Communications

 Industry working together
 OSRL experiences: Information and Assurance Exercises and Response Experience Final thoughts© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Who is Oil Spill Response Ltd. (OSRL)

Largest International
Industry Funded
Cooperative

Owned by Major Oiland Gas Production/Transportation Companies© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

Providing Resources toPrepare for and Respond to
Oil Spills Efficiently andEffectively on a Global Basis4

Risk Communications
Many Parallels Between the Pandemic and Oil Spills

 Speed of decision-making (and subsequent action) is a critical success factor
 Stakeholder engagement (through a wide variety of media) is essential
throughout: There can be a need to convince sceptical voices A place for “independence” and a source of “truth”
 Trade-offs need to be explained in a clear, non-technical way Things may get worse before they get better Social media cannot be ignored the space must be managed
 Use it to build consensus and communicate openly.

© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Oil Industry Working Group Initial IPIECA meeting of the cohort was held July 2020
 Cohort split into 2 groups:
 Pandemic physical response Pandemic virtual response

Identified response priorities:
 Pandemic Response Models
 Virtual Incident Management Team Etiquette, Hints, and Tips
 Virtual Incident Management Team Lessons Learned
 Virtual Training and Exercising Options
 Physical Response Lessons Learnt
 Mutual Aid Tactical Response checklist© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

6Concept: Response Teams as Units• Large scale incident (Tier 3) requiring
Expanded Incident Management expert response support at a global
level with large number of individuals
Teamsupporting

Local Incident ManagementTeam• Tier 1/2 incident requiring anEmergency Operations Centre orIncident Management Team using
local staff, government andcontracted resources

Initial Response Team• Tier 1 emergency response usingsite resources© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Escalating Incident Response
RESOURCE

EXPANDED IMTREQUIREMENTS

LOCAL IMT +VIRTUAL SUPPORTNewComponent!

LOCAL IMTLOCALRESPONSESITERESPONSENOTIFICATION© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Virtual Incident Management Teams
Learnings from exercises


Platform selection
 Provide instructions, procedures and test themv-IMT Platform Considerations:1.
Security2.
Number of users
3.
Instant comms / chat
4.
Breakout rooms facility
5.
Material sharing
6.
Intuitiveness7.
External agencies access
8.
Compatibility with other platforms

 Use systems that people are familiar with and use day-to-dayCommunication Protocol
 Clear ground rules

Maintaining situational awareness and a commonunderstanding Careful scene-setting and sharing of relevant documentation are vital at thestart Use of ‘liaisons’ to prevent bottlenecking



Fit for purpose IT
 Plan for when IT issues happen not if they happen.
 Provide a mechanism for back up dial-in numbers, audio calls, detailed
meeting minutes after meetings.

© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

9Virtual IMTs (Continued)
Learnings from exercisesManaging energy, fatigue, concentration, stress, wellbeing
 Develop wellbeing management guidance.
 Ensure people have time to take screen breaks etc (e.g. scheduled breaks)
 Assign a buddy system of ‘checking-in’ Encourage participants to indicate their availability/status (busy, available)Ensuring there are enough people - facilitation andinformation management need different consideration
 Assign a dedicated facilitator to own the processCore Incident Management principles still apply: Single open endless call vs. Planning ‘P’ Span of control
 Objective driven© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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OSRL approach Information dashboard
 Country Profiles
 Operational assurance OSRL protocols: Office /support functions
 Infield: response and exercises

 Actual response experience© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

11Readiness Dashboard© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

12Country profiles (~70 countries) Mobilization (entry requirements)
 Country specific information:
Response roles:
 IMT technical advice
 Aerial surveillance operations
 Shoreline / Inland operations Offshore vessel-based operations
 Aerial dispersant operations
 Oiled wildlife response© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Covid 19 Operational Considerations
 Appendices to existing guides:
 Containment & recovery
 Shoreline Clean-up Assessment Technique Shoreline Ops
 Inland Ops
 Aerial Surveillance Dispersant Application & Monitoring Waste Management
 Offshore In-situ Burning
 NEBA Considerations

 Download : www.oilspillresponse.com© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Document Overview
Virtual response and employing online
collaboration platforms
Satellite/UAV instead of personnel deployment. Workingwith people who have self-isolated for 14 days with noreported symptoms of COVID-19 or with negative resultsfrom testing

Increasing ventilation rates in work environment,
Installing physical barriers
Physical distancing, split teams, staggered
breaks, shift work, temperature checks
Use of gloves, goggles, face shields, respiratory
protective equipment (RPE)© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

15© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

16© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Practicalities
For documents that require to be passed around,methods to minimise cross-contamination
Use nitrile gloves when sterilising equipment tominimise direct contact of the disinfectant spray fromskin.
Surgical tapes to prevent fogging of safety glasses

A cool down period is needed before conducting
temperature taking after working in hot weather conditions.

More frequent breaks as it is more taxing when working
with masks© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Operational Guidance: Summary
 Guidance sits alongside the OSRL Field Guideappendices
 IPIECA Good Practice Guide on NEBA and SIMA
still apply Human health has to come first (PEAR principle)
 COVID-19 adds an extra layer of complexity
 Are there less man-power intensive techniques thatcan be deployed?

 No one answer – this will vary according to a
specific country’s infection rate, spill scenario etc.
© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Recent Case Histories
OSRL Responses During Covid-19

Modified
Procedures /Processes

Stakeholder
Engagement &Comms

Virtual Support

HumanFactors© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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m/v X-Press Pearl

X-Press Pearl
Incident Overview• 2700 TEU container feeder v/l (built 2021)• 1486 containers on board• 81 classified as ‘Dangerous Goods’• 25 te. nitric acid and other chemicals• 300 m3 Low Sulphur Fuel Oil• Virgin plastic pellets (nurdles)• Incident timeline:• 20th May 2021 – Fire starts• 25th May 2021 – OSRL notified by ITOPF• 2nd June 2021 – Vessel sinks• Loss of cargo and risk of oil spill• 10 km north-west of Colombo, Sri Lanka• OSRL mobilised on 26th May 2021 under
BiMCO RESPONSECON 3rd party contract© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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A Wide Range of Pollution Challenges
Oils: bunkers, hydraulic, lube, etc.

Micro-plastics: less than 5 mm in diameter,
particularly in the form of virgin plastic pellets(nurdles)Macro-plastics: between 5 and 50 mm indiameter (including melted nurdles)
Other macro pollution: various forms ofdebris/pollution from the ship between 5mm
and 50 mm in diameter
Mega pollution: any item > 50 mm in diameter,
potentially reaching several metres in size
(items include burnt plastic, whole ordamaged containers, and loose, spilt cargofrom damaged containers)© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Responding and COVID-19
Acknowledging and overcoming the fear
– Human factors, comms and assurance

Bio-bubble arrangement for Quarantine Waiver on arrival––––

Approved accommodation with restricted access
Dedicated vehicle and driver
Movement restrictions
Military escort

National lockdown impacts
Vaccinated responders
PCR tests
Twice weekly LFTs
– OSRL and drivers

Isolate and monitor protocol for ‘close contact’ situations
Advice from medical service provider ‘ISOS’
Documentation:– Covid-19 specific measures and OSRL Covid-19 field guide© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Human Factors: A Responder’s Perspective
Concerns

Mitigations

Wellbeing Medical Provision
 Risk Assessment
 Mental Health✓ Hospital standards and capacity

Travel Safety
 Air Travel Land Travel✓ Briefing on traveller safety measures

Family Family Support
 Returning Home
Accommodation
 Quarantine Cleanliness✓ Repatriation plans / assurance✓ Awareness building and easy access to support✓ Traveller numbers, mask use✓ Land transportation (e.g. private car)
✓ Plain English language information packs✓ Employee-family support networks✓ Mitigations for 14-day quarantine✓ Early scouting team for the assessment ofconditions© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Final thoughts
Maintain Incident Management Core Principles


Establish and maintain key priorities:
 PEAR principle to build objectives, worst case scenario planning and informdecisions ‘People first’ / ‘Nobody gets hurt’

PeopleEnvironment
AssetsReputation

Prudent Over-Response Get Big Quick, Worst Case Scenario (WCS) planning, ‘No Regrets’ Be proactive, you can’t buy time and rebuilding trust and confidence isn’t easyCommunication:
 Communicate early, clearly, consistently and don’t stop…
 Any communication vacuum is filled with hearsay, speculation and fear
 Don’t let up, even if the crisis is abating; people rely on a steady reliable feed ofinfo
 Messages must be clear, and unequivocal
 Unless everyone is on message (ALL of the time) the impact is diluted or
destroyed© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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Thank You
www.oilspillresponse.com
Subsea Well Intervention Service> www.oilspillresponse.com/subsea

Find us onsubseaservices@oilspillresponse.com

Training courses>

www.facebook.com/OilSpillResponseLimited>

www.linkedin.com/company/oil-spill-response-ltd>

www.youtube.com/user/OilSpillResponseLtd>

www.twitter.com/oilspillexperts> www.oilspillresponse.com/training
training_uk@oilspillresponse.com
training_sg@oilspillresponse.com© Copyright. Oil Spill Response Limited.

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