The responsibility for reporting environmental accidents, however small, is the responsibility of: Government agencies, private institutions and individuals to report to the Pollution Control Center through the available means of communication, describing its observations accurately to enable specialists to take the necessary actions.
The scale of the incident was used as a means to help prepare the organizational structure. As the scale of the incident escalated, it also mobilized other levels of the organization. Oil spills were classified as follows:
Levels | Details | |
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Level (Zero) | An oil spill accident has minor potential effects that require action | |
Level (1) | Leakage of less than 100 tons and can be contained by local capabilities. The incident can be contained with local capabilities either by using the resources of the National Emergency Oil Pollution Control Plan, a local emergency (PDO), Shell Marketing (Oman) Limited, or service providers. | |
Level (2) | A leakage of 100-500 tons is contained by local capabilities or with external assistance if required by local companies An oil spill is considered serious in the following cases: (A) If it occurs in the Mina Al Fahal area and cannot be accommodated at the port's potential within the PDO local contingency plan and urgent external assistance is required that comes from the NEPR resources or outside the country if necessary (GOCO) The amount of oil spilled in this case ranges from 100-200 tons. (B) If the incident occurs outside the Mina Al Fahal area, the size of which is between 100-500 tons and requires a large response but within the capabilities and capabilities of the national contingency plan. |
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Level (3) | A leakage of more than 500 tons is considered a national emergency or environmental disaster that cannot be contained at the national level alone but requires external assistance (regional or international). The spill is considered a major accident or an emergency at the national level if its size exceeds the capabilities and capabilities of the national emergency plan to combat oil pollution and therefore need to seek external assistance to provide equipment and manpower trained |
Organization / Convention | Year of accession | |
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United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea | 1989, by Royal Decree No. (67/89) of 22 May 1989 | |
Kuwait Regional Convention and Protocol on Regional Cooperation in Combating Oil and Other Harmful Contamination in Emergencies - Kuwait | 1979, by Royal Decree No. (8/79) of March 8, 1979. | |
Protocol on Marine Pollution from Exploration and Exploitation of the Continental Shelf, Kuwait | 1989, by Royal Decree No. (93/89) of 4 October 1989 | |
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 and its Annexes and Protocols - London MARPOL | 1981, by Royal Decree No. (25/81) of March 24, 1981. | |
Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Dumping of Wastes and Others, London | 1981, by Royal Decree No. 26/1981 On 24 March 1981. | |
The 1969 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and its Protocol, 1976 | 1984, by Royal Decree No. (93/84) of 26 November 1984. | |
International Convention of 1971 establishing an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage - London | 1984, by Royal Decree No. (94/84) of 26 November 1984. | |
Protocol of 1992 to amend the 1969 International Convention on Civil Liability for Damage caused by Oil Pollution, and Protocol of 1992 to amend the 1971 International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage - London | By Royal Decree No. (57/94) dated June 5, 1994. | |
Convention on the Prevention of the International Convention on Harmful Coatings of Ships | 2018 |
The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan provides a definition of the extent of Oman's national oil spill response capacity in relation to marine pollution incidents and a description of the oil spill emergency response arrangements prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs. The report also describes links with the National Civil Defense Committee, government ministries and others Regarding the volume of oil leakage at levels (2) or (3) affecting coastal marine waters, the need for a national oil spill response plan in the Sultanate of Oman was identified after the issuance and publication of the first national oil spill contingency plan in 1985, followed by an In 1992, and the "Plan of Action to Combat Marine Oil Spill", both of these plans have been superseded by the 1995 National Oil Spill Emergency Plan, which aims to:
The plan addresses the oil spill response measures within 12 nautical miles from the regional sea, 24 nautical miles in the adjacent sea and 200 nautical miles in the exclusive economic zone of the Sultanate of Oman. In the Strait of Hormuz, which is geographically the center point between the shores of the Sultanate and Iran
The Goal :
The specialists in the Pollution Control Center in coordination with the private establishments and ports carry out joint national exercises on responding to oil spill incidents within the Sultanate and with the participation of all concerned bodies as an integrated system in accordance with the national emergency plan to combat oil pollution of the second or third level or exercises on the boundaries of the facilities at the second level.
In view of the importance of implementing field exercises to determine the readiness of the authorities in the pollution control operations and the effectiveness of coordination between them in the event of such incidents and follow up the activation of emergency plans for the authorities involved in the process of pollution control and to know the extent of cooperation and response of the relevant authorities Oil companies.
The exercise main objectives:
Participating Organizations: