We take the view that to avoid doubling-up on numbers, the representative from the counter pollution unit and the environmental liaison officer would offer advice in respect of both the ship and the offshore installation. Once the Support Unit was established it would operate in the same way as the Salvage Control Unit for a shipping casualty. As with shipping incidents, it is difficult to look in detail beyond the initial stages of an incident. What follows will be highly dependent on the nature of the individual incident. The ownership and control of oil and gas installations has become a rather tortuous matter and under contracts agreed, the legal owner may not have a prime interest in its fate.
Insurance is likely to be similarly complicated.
It is likely that all parties will need to agree in advance, as part of their contingency planning, who will be the single representative.