U.S. Navy Ship Salvage Manual Volume 6 - Oil Spill Response

S0300-A6-MAN-060Military or charter aircraft normally make the overflights. However, to save time, other operatorssuch as state police, civil air patrol or highway traffic reporters should be solicited. Public serviceorganizations such as these are pleased to help and need only to be asked for their services.Oil spills into ocean or coastal waters are defined as minor, medium and major discharges:• Minor discharge - less than 10,000 gallons of oil• Medium discharge - 10,000 to 100,000 gallons of oil• Major discharge - more than 100,000 gallons of oilCatastrophic spill describes exceptionally large discharges such as the EXXON VALDEZ spill orsmaller spills that impact very sensitive areas.With a rough spill definition, responders can make proper notifications, set up a command center,make initial resource orders and begin to refine resource requirements.3-4.3 Spill Movement Forecast. Projection of the movement of the oil slick permits determinationof its potential impact on shorelines or its location in open water. The projected path of an oilslick is the spill trajectory. Chapter 2 contains information on estimating oil movement. Governmentand commercial services are available to project spill movement. Spill trajectory projectionsease decisions on staging and deploying resources to combat the spill and protect environmentallysensitive areas.Trajectory forecasts predict spreading, rate of evaporation, slick size and thickness and directionof movement. With this information, time of impact with a shoreline can be projected. Computergenerated forecasts can be provided any time and can be corrected after comparison with actualspill observations. A good contingency plan includes probable spill trajectories for likely spillsites and conditions and lists sources for spill-specific trajectory forecasts.3-4.4 Initial Prediction of Required Response Effort. The size of the effort can be estimatedwhen spill size, type of oil, location and direction of oil flow is known. The characterization of thespill determines the response. The response to an open water spill is primarily skimming free oilfrom the surface and transporting the skimmed oil to a disposal facility but may include in-situburning, bioremediation or even dispersant use. Response to oil on a shoreline is primarily a rakeand shovel operation with little skimming of free oil, but again, could include such methods asbioremediation.Although the extent of the required response effort may be defined shortly after a spill is reported,mobilization and transportation of personnel and equipment takes time. The time depends uponthe location of the spill and the extent of the mobilization. It is while the response effort begins toget underway, before any oil is recovered, that agencies charged with protecting the environmentand the general public, as well as people associated with an oil spill response feel the most frustrated.Apparent and visible action in this period is important both to start the response effort andto convince the many interested parties that a positive response is in progress.3-10