Innovation and Inland Oil Spill Response

Advances in technology and a sustained demand for oil mean exploration is being driven into more remote, fragile environments (Ivshina et al, 2015). Therefore, the number of drilling campaigns in remote inland locations is set to increase, so we should be prepared for a corresponding increase in the number of spills. This changing risk profile should in-turn be reflected in the oil spill response organisation (OSRO) community. Whilst advances in offshore techniques and specialist equipment are plentiful, there appears to be scope for greater innovation in inland response. It is not uncommon for response plans to bear a close resemblance to those written in excess of 10 years ago, when the Macondo blow-out stimulated investment and a subsequent increase in offshore response capabilities. This apparent disparity is surprising given offshore responses tend to orientate round either traditional containment and recovery measures or the use of dispersants, in contrast with inland response tactics which are often subject to a higher degree of site specificity. There is a real appetite to add to the range of tactics available to OSROs. Precursors to change might include one or more of the following; field trials, better information sharing between response organisations and impressing upon manufacturers the potential value of developing proprietary inland spill equipment. This poster will explore some of the areas in inland response where there is scope for innovation.