South Africa

A National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP) is a key document that provides guidance on how to respond to an oil spill in the case of an incident.

Sensitivity mapping of the various types of environments and resources potentially exposed to oil spills enables the identification of the most sensitive sites or resources and provide a basis for the definition of priorities for protection and clean-up, and information to plan the best-suited response strategy.

Policies on the use of dispersant ensure oil spill dispersants as a response option can be made available in a timely manner, and that suitable products are available for use if required.

When oil reaches the shoreline, considerable effort may be required to clean affected areas. It is therefore essential that comprehensive and well rehearsed arrangements for shoreline clean-up are included in Contingency plans.

The waste management policy is a vital component of any oil spill contingency plan. A well-developed policy addresses components like waste recovery and recycling opportunities or a logistics chain comprising temporary storage sites and transportation that has the ability to interface with the existing available waste infrastructure.

An Incident Management System (IMS) facilitates command and control of an oil spill by organizing leaders, functions, response teams and other resources through a scalable structure with pre-identified roles, responsibilities, reporting relationships and authorities necessary to manage an incident.

Where there is the potential for trans-boundary movement of spilled oil, or if personnel and equipment may need to be transported across borders, regional and bilateral agreements can provide response actions and sharing of resources. Prearranged procedures are vital for rapid resolution of issues such as liability concerns, emergency immigration and import provisions, and financial compensation processes.