ITOPF contributes to five-day workshop on oil spill response in Malaysia

Marine pollution responses can be large-scale and the response can take long periods of time as clean-up, restoration and environmental monitoring takes place. While sharing ITOPF's knowledge and expertise at conferences and through presentations is an effective teaching method, ITOPF relishes the opportunities for longer seminars and workshops to dive into the details of responding to ship-source spills of oil.

As part of ITOPF’s five-year training agreement with Malaysia’s lead response authority, it seized the opportunity to help facilitate a five-day workshop hosted by the Malaysian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) Department of Environment to comprehensively consider oil spill response strategies and run a table-top exercise on marine pollution response.

Over five days ITOPF shared its extensive on-site experience responding to oil spills globally, highlighting how the natural environment, fisheries and local economies can be affected by oil pollution, and how this damage can be assessed. ITOPF covered the benefits of aerial surveillance, how it should be done effectively and how it feeds into at-sea and shoreline response strategies. The workshop included field work, where participants developed response strategies for various hypothetical spill scenarios at a nearby shoreline.

The workshop ended with a table-top exercise, designed by ITOPF to culminate the learnings from the week, as participants planned and managed an oil spill response from start to finish.

ITOPF is grateful to all attendees for their enthusiastic participation, furthering the response capabilities of marine stakeholders in the region and for contributing to insightful discussions throughout the week. ITOPF thanks to Department of Environment (DOE), Malaysian Marine Deparment (MARDEP), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM), Department of Fisheries (DOF), Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia (JUPEM), Petroleum Industry Of Malaysia Mutual Aid Group (PIMMAG), PETROLIAM NASIONAL BERHAD (PETRONAS).