Inter-agency game reinforces importance of synergistic actions to better prepare the country
By Agência Marinha de Notícias – Rio de Janeiro, RJ
For the first time, the Brazilian Navy (MB, per its Portuguese acronym) held an interagency exercise to simulate an oil spill incident at sea with national impact. The Oil Spill Incident Game in Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters – JIDO 2023 aimed to test the country’s response structure in oil pollution situations and to exercise the coordination and action capabilities of the various entities involved at the national level to ensure effective action to minimize environmental damage and protect public health. The activities take place at the Naval War College, in Rio de Janeiro, from August 7 to 9.
The dynamics, in game format, reproduced an accident at the height of the Campos Basin (RJ), caused by an oil tanker in transit through the area, requiring the activation of the National Contingency Plan (PNC) for Oil Pollution Incidents in Waters under National Jurisdiction (as provided for in Decree 10.950/2022). Due to the type of incident, in the open sea, off the Brazilian coast, MB acted as Operational Coordinator, employing all the response capacity in real situations.
The game has the participation of several civil institutions: the National Petroleum Agency (ANP), the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF Limited), experts from the Oil & Gas sector, and actors from the Brazilian maritime and port sectors. All representatives were provided with general guidance on the simulated case and divided into smaller groups to work in their areas of expertise, but in an integrated manner, through regular meetings with senior decision makers.
Today (08), while deliberations were taking place in the game control center, members of the Navy, Ibama and ITOPF met at Praia Vermelha, in Urca (RJ), for the workshop “Coastal Cleaning and Assessment Technique”. The activity provided participants with the opportunity to improve skills and techniques for cleaning up areas affected by oil spills.
Oil Spill Incident Game in Brazilian Jurisdictional Waters – JIDO 2023
JIDO 2023 is an initiative of the Navy, the current Coordinating Body of the PNC Evaluation and Monitoring Group. In addition to the Directorate of Ports and Coasts, several Navy Military Organizations throughout the country are also involved in strategic or operational activities for crisis management. The game takes place in a tabletop format – an exercise that helps determine the organization’s ability to make important decisions.
“There is a true communion of efforts here with one purpose: to be prepared for a synergistically coordinated action between public and private agencies in the capacity and efficiency of response to oil pollution incidents. What is expected, in this exercise, is an integration between the various entities involved and, in the end, that we can contribute decisively to a better preparation of the Country when dealing with a possible real situation in Brazilian waters “, said the Director of Ports and Coasts, Vice Admiral Sergio Renato Berna Salgueirinho, at the official opening of JIDO 2023.
Ibama’s deputy superintendent in Rio de Janeiro, Adilson Gil, highlighted the need for training due to the growth of activities related to the sea. “Oil exploration and cargo transportation only grow in the country. There is a tendency that the greater the amount of cargo, unfortunately, the greater the possibility of an accident. It is essential to be prepared for this type of unwanted but possible situation.”
ANP’s operational safety superintendent, Luiz Henrique de Oliveira Bispo, emphasized the scale of the activities. “This size that the Navy is offering here is extremely relevant to simulate the various possible scenarios that could happen. Several sectors of the ANP are in the exercise and we will test internal practices for improvements “.
Emblematic case
In 2019, oil slicks appeared 700 kilometers off the Brazilian coast (in international waters) and reached more than 250 beaches in the Northeast. There were more than 2,000 km of coastline with oil contamination records. More than 4.5 thousand tons of the material were removed from the Northeastern beaches. This accident was considered the largest in history on the Brazilian coast in terms of extension.
At the time, MB intensified inspections along the coast, with the support of vessels, ships and aircraft, in order to patrol the region in search of the causes of the leak. The effort involved nearly 1,600 service members. Waste samples were also collected to help investigate the case.
The Navy also used the Blue Amazon Management System (SisGAAz) to analyze the movement of merchant ships that had sailed in the month of the disaster in Brazilian jurisdictional waters. SisGAAz helped identify possible suspects.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias