Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterCurrent Status of Oil Spill Response in Japanand a New Sensible Approach to the Issues

Takahiro HAGIHARA
Director, Disaster Prevention Department
Maritime Disaster Prevention Center (a General Incorporated Foundation)
Maritime Disaster Prevention Institution designated by Commandant of the Japan Coast Guard

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterContents

I The Maritime Disaster Prevention Center
II Oil Spill Response: Current Status andIssues
1. Use of Dispersants
2. Decontamination of Port Facilities
3. Ship Decontamination

III A New Sensible Approach to the Issues- R&D for Adhered Oil RemoverMaritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterI. Maritime Disaster Prevention Center

 MDPC was established in October 1976 as a private sector initiative In October 2003 MDPC became an independent administrative agency,and in October 2013 it became a designated maritime disaster prevention
institution. In readiness for incidents involving oil and HNS tankers, or
petroleum- and chemical-related operators, MDPC concludes precontracts offering equipment and disaster response personnel. MDPC isself-funding through receipt of commissions for disaster response
training and consulting fees.
 MDPC has mobilized for more than 160 maritime disasters, including oil
spill clean-up and fire-fighting activities. However, its disaster-prevention
activities are not conducted for the purpose of earning revenue.

Oil spill from ship

Oil spill from facilities

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterBasic Approach to Maritime Disaster Response
Activity timeline

SafetyFire-fighting

Initial stage

Primary stage

Activity stage

Final

Ongoingmeasurement

Evaluation

Simulation andboundary-setting

Sampling,
ongoingmeasurement

Actual fire

Private- and public-sector
fire-fighting

Evaluation

Assessment/analysis/tactics

Risk of fireFire prevention

Prevent spread

Water spraying depending oncircumstances

Control/promote evaporation

Decontamination
Confirm safety

Note: Thickness of arrow
indicates extent of risk

Prepare fordecontamination

Gelling/recovery/evaluation/disposal

 MDPC’s on-site responders have the skills to consider the above
three factors and respond appropriately to fires and oil and HNS
spills.
 Basically no difference in response to oil and HNS incidents. Crude
oil is inflammable and emits toxic gas.
 MDPC has personnel and equipment to deal with these three factors.

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterWakkanai

MDPC Bases & Depots
for Maritime Disasters

Total 8 Branch Offices/3 Depots/41 Bases

MuroranTomakomai
Hakodate
Mutsu
HachinoheAkita
Kuji
Niigata
SendaiToyamaKagoshima

Himeji

Kiire

Matsuyama

Oita

Kushikino

Imabari

SaseboKamigotou

Nagasaki

Mizushima

IwakuniTokuyamaUbe
Shimonoseki

Nakagusuku

Kita-Kyusyu

Kawasaki

Fukui
Kobe

OnahamaKashima

NagoyaSakai

Yokohama

North-Chiba
South-Chiba

Yokosuka
Yokkaichi
Shimizu
Irako
Wakayama Owase

Oil recovery system
Oil booms, absorbent and dispersant
HNS PPE, materials and equipment
Oil & HNS response experts
Disaster countermeasures depot
Branc
MDPC staff stationedhOfficeMaritime
DisasterPrevention
Center

MDPC’s Role in Oil Spill Response
Peace time:
Management & Planning

PoisonGas?

Polluter
Exercises &study
to develop ourcapability

Insurance
OfficeO.S.Commander

MDPC

Request to respond

Order toRespondDispatch
Evaluation
Planning
Coordination
OperationFire?

Pollution?

Dispatch

Charge claims

Japan Coast Guard: advice & coordination to R.P.
Dispatch

Evaluation

Explanation &coordination

Staging resources

Operations:
Reevaluation Oily debris
offshore & shoreline & revision
disposal

OSC
Evaluation

Sampling

Mobilization & staging

Explanation of response tactics

MDPC

Protective tactics for sensitive areas

Daily report & costs
General planning

Offshore operation

Temporary storage& disposal

Shoreline cleanup operations

Logistics

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterII. Oil Spill Response:
Current Status and Issues

1. Use of Dispersants–Timing and Misconceptions
Dispersant is a chemical agent designated by law, and domestic law obligates oil storage
facilities, oil tankers, etc. to keep dispersant on hand Why do people hesitate to use dispersant even though it is a legally designatedchemical agent?
 Ill-prepared in terms of timing of use, suitability, and proper spraying?

Mandatory emergency response measures （Act on the Prevention of Marine Pollution andMaritime Disaster, Article 39, Paragraph 1)
Facility managers and ships’ captains must immediately take emergency measures to prevent
spread or continued discharge of pollutants and remove oil, etc.
(Example: Discharge of oil from onshore pipeline
Proper spraying of dispersant is an emergency measure that can be taken by a small number ofpeople)

Mandatory clean-up measures (Act on the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster,Article 39, Paragraph 2)
Facility managers and ship owners must take measures necessary for clean-up .
(Example: Offshore spread of oil from facilities
Mechanical recovery and dispersant spraying considering consensus of local interested parties
and others involved)

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterII. Oil Spill Response:
Current Status and Issues• Since dispersant is a legally designated chemical agent, MLIT
sets testing standards→Toxicity, emulsification rate, etc.

→Low toxicity criteria: 1/10 to 1/100 of European and American standards
The real issue is environmentalimpact of the ultra-fine oil
particles dispersed
Spraying dispersant on floating oil far out at sea involves a trade-off between
minimization of the amount of oil that will strand ashore and consideration for
the environment. Local community understanding (consensus) is required.
Biggestproblem

The biggest problem for MDPC in more than 160 incidents has
been removal of oil adhering to port facilities

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterOil Adhering to Port Facilities

Pollution of port facilities

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterII. Oil Spill Response:
Current Status and Issues

2. Decontamination of port facilities
Port users demand swift restoration of port functions (shipping
traffic and docking facilities)
Current status of decontamination
Decontamination procedures for oil adhering to port facilities:↓Preparation for preventing spread of oil splashes↓Let dispersant permeate for about 30 minutes after spraying↓Lift with high-pressure washer using sea water↓Stir dispersed oil and rely on natural clean-up
Recover oil lifted but not fully dispersed by sorption, etc.
Repeat these procedures 2-3 times depending on the extent ofpollution

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterDecontamination Procedures for OilAdhering to Port Facilities and Ships (1)Sorbent/DispersantsHigh-temp./High-pressure washing

Booms/Sorbent booms(2) Penetration(1) Dispersant spraying(3) High-pressure washing

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterII. Oil Spill Response:
Current Status and Issues

Issues when decontaminating oil adhering to port facilities(1) Aversion to use of dispersants(difficult to obtain local community consensus)(2) High-pressure washers using sea water are prone to nozzle blockages,
and are not reliable for continuous use(3) Dispersed oil does not generally need to be recovered, but since ports
are highly visible sites, there is pressure to recover floating oil(4) If dispersant cannot be used, oil is lifted with heated and highpressured seawater . However, since sea water contains many
impurities, heater breakdowns and nozzle blockages frequently occur.

Impact• Hindrance to port recovery plan
• Docks and piers cannot be used, leading directly to claims forcompensation

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterDecontamination Work for Oil Adhering toPort Facilities (2)(1) Applying dispersant(3) Decontamination completed(2) High-pressure washing(4) Floating lifted oil

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterDecontamination Work for Oil Adhering toPort Facilities (Canals) (3)Decontamination in the public eye(1) Preparation(2) Dispersant spraying/penetration(3) High-pressure washing

The color of dispersed oilchanges to “Café au lait”

The color of nondispersed oil isblack: lifted oil
floats.

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterII. Oil Spill Response:
Current Status and Issues

3. Ship Decontamination: Use of Dispersants and Determination ofOperation Zones
 Ships contaminated as they sail through polluted waters
 Ships contaminated by docking at port facilities
 Ships contaminated during use in cleanup operations
MDPC faced problems with ship decontamination during
response to oil spills following the Great East Japan
Earthquake
Issues(1) Struggle to determine operation zones for decontamination
work (since this work is carried out by small vessels, it is donein shallow coastal waters)(2) Although dispersant promotes oil lifting, the fishing industry
expresses fears over eventual damage due to dispersed oil

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterDecontamination Work for Oil Adhering toPort Facilities and Ships (4)BeforeAfter

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterDecontamination Work for Oil Adhering toPort Facilities (5)Photo 1

Photo 2Afterseveraldays

Photo 1: During initial preparation phase, thecolor of streamer-type adsorbent is white
Photo 2: After several days it turns brown as
dispersed and lifted oil is adsorbed

Streamer-type
adsorbent

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterIII. A New Sensible Approach to the Issues• R&D for adhered oil remover is a pressing issue Easily lifts oil adhering to port facilities and ships
 Floats lifted oil on the surface and recover it using
a chemical agent not designated by law
 Achieves readiness for port damage caused by ahuge earthquake: a “magic bullet” for immediately
restoring port functions
 Since lifted oil is recovered physically,
environmental damage is extremely low compared
to use of dispersants, and it will be easier to gain
understanding of local communities:
an environmentally friendly solution

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterIII. A New Sensible Approach to the Issues• Performance criteria required of adhered oil removerbeing researched and developed
When used on highly viscous oil adhering to the surfaceof port facilities (concrete) and ship hulls (painted steel),the remover must:





Be easy to apply using commercial sprayers
Permeate easily to minimize amount sprayed
Lift oil with low-pressure seawater sprayed using small
pumps (lifting capability equivalent to current hot-watermethod)
Float lifted oil (without emulsification or dispersion) forrecovery using sorbent boom or small skimmer
Comply with national toxicity testing standards forchemical agents (oil dispersants), to eliminate local
community concerns over toxicity
Have no impact on ships’ paintMaritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterAdhered Oil Remover
Development Concept
Adhered oil remover

Target oil

High-viscosity oil that has drifted and adhered to structures
after a spillStructures

Docks, ships, breakwaters, etc.

PurposeTo reduce viscosity of adhered oil and make it easy to lift oilfrom structures

Method ofuse

After application and standing time, blast off with highpressure spray of water at normal temperature

Recoverymethod

Sorbent boom, small skimmer, etc.

Applicablestandard

No domestic standard

Domestic
products

None (currently dispersants are used as a substitute fordispersion and lifting)Sites for use

Oil pollution sites on coast, near industrial complexes, etc.

Solubility inwater

Water insoluble

Flash point

61℃and above

Aquatic
toxicity

LC50 value of more than 3,000 ppm in 24 hour period for“himedaka” (Japanese killifish)

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterType

Test pieces
after testing

Solvent
after testingFlash point
Toxicity

Adhered Oil Remover:Base Solvent Testing
ABCDEFLiftingNodispersion

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterAdhered Oil Remover Test Results:
Interim Report

In cooperation with Neos Co., Ltd., which agreed on the need for an
adhered oil remover, in late 2012 MDPC began examining washing agentsused in the US. The US Environmental Protection Agency approved two
types of washing agents:(1) “Lift and disperse” products(2) “Lift and float” products
Target of MDPC/Neos R&D
Reference:：
http://www.noaa.gov/factsheets/new%20version/surface_washing_agents.pdf

Criterion

Parameters(1) Water pressure for washing

3-5 kgf/cm2(2) Amount of adhered oil remover applied

0.5:1-1:1 amount of adhered oil(3) Standing time

10-30 minutes(4) Washing time with pressure washing

1-5 minutes

Maritime
DisasterPrevention
CenterAdhered Oil Remover:
Performance Comparison Test

Remover under

開発中薬剤
development

Dispersant
油処理剤

Highly toxic
毒性高い薬剤
chemical agent

No chemical agent(water wash at 50℃)

Front
BackParameters used:(1) 3 kgf/cm2(2) Oil : test agent = 1:1(3) 10 minutes(4) 3 minutes

Decontamination test on high-viscosity oil applied tominiature tetrapod succeeded in lifting adhered fueloil with water sprayed at normal temperature (15℃)
and low pressure (3 kgf/cm2)

Thank you very muchfor your kind attention