Spill Notification Point

Competent National Authority

Response Arrangements

Responsibility for oil spill preparedness and response lies with the Maritime and Port Authority (MPABD), under the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications. The Muara Coast Signal Station (MCSS), Marine Department, MPABD, acts as the central notification point for all pollution incidents via its 24/7 emergency line. In the event of a spill, MPABD would lead the response; the spiller would be responsible for the spill and would assist the MPABD.

The MPABD has responsibility for developing, updating and amending the Brunei Darussalam National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCOP).

The NOSCOP establishes the National Response Team (NRT) and its roles and responsibilities in the national response system. This includes planning and coordinating the response, providing guidance to Regional Response Teams, coordinating a national programme of preparedness planning and response, and facilitating research to improve response activities. The MPABD’s Marine Department serves as the lead agency within the National Response Team, headed by the NOSCOP Chairman (Director of Marine). Other government agencies would also have roles and responsibilities to fulfil in the event of an oil spill.

The NRT is responsible for distributing technical, financial, and operational information about oil spills to all members of the team. NOSCOP Committees of the NRT include a Response Committee, which addresses issues such as response operations, use of technology, operational safety, and interagency activities (eg customs on transboundary issues); and a Preparedness Committee, which addresses issues such as training, monitoring exercises/drills and planning issues. After a major incident, the NRT would monitor the effectiveness of the response and make recommendations for improving the NOSCOP and the national response system, if appropriate. The NRT supports Regional Response Teams by reviewing regional or sub regional contingency plans to maintain consistency with national policies on emergency response. 

The NOSCOP interfaces with other plans in Brunei, ie the Maritime Disaster Plan used by the Brunei government for responding to maritime casualties; emergency response procedures from other government agencies and oil industry emergency plans.

The NOSCOP follows the tiered approach to response, in line with international guidelines. All oil companies operating in Brunei are required to have their own oil spill contingency plans or other emergency response procedures.  These plans should identify procedures for responding to Tier 1 spills, and identify resources available for responding to Tier 2/3 spills originating from oil industry operations.  The oil industry in Brunei must provide support to the government for the purpose of Tier 2/3 spills. Requests may be made through MPABD to the Department of Environment Malaysia or via oil companies through PIMMAG (Petroleum Industry of Malaysia Mutual Aid Group) for the use of equipment from Malaysia. Resources from Oil Spill Response Singapore would be mobilised for Tier 3 incidents.

A full scale exercise of the NOSCOP is prescribed once every two years and a table-top exercise once a year, in partnership with industry.

A comprehensive Coastal Environment Sensitivity Map has been produced. This includes clean-up strategies for the various coastal types encountered and the sensitivity of certain areas to dispersant usage

Response Policy

The spill response strategy for the Brunei shoreline concentrates on preventing oil from entering the sheltered, more sensitive interior environments and from crossing international boundaries. The likely sequence of response activities would be dispersant application, mechanical containment and recovery and shoreline protection. Formal approval is required for dispersant use. Dispersants would not
normally be applied less than 1 km from the shoreline or if the resulting dispersed oil could impact marine resources such as corals and fisheries.

Equipment

Government

The Marine Department, MPABD, holds a stockpile of equipment, including boom, skimmers, storage tanks, dispersants, dispersant application systems and sorbents, as listed on the MPABD website.

Aircraft and helicopters for dispersant spraying and aerial surveillance together with other logistics would likely be provided by the armed forces and oil industry.

Private

The majority of pollution equipment is operated by the oil industry located in the north west of the country. This includes boom, skimmers, aerial and vessel dispersant spraying equipment, dispersant and various sorbent materials. In addition, several offshore supply vessels and berthing tugs operated by the oil industry have a dispersant storage and spraying capability. All these resources can be mobilised directly by the Marine Department on-scene commander. Resources could also be mobilised from Malaysia, as mentioned above.

Previous Spill Experience

There have been no major spills in Brunei waters.

Compensation

* not yet in force 

Regional & Bilateral Agreements

A Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan (ROSCP) was developed under the Memorandum of Understanding on ASEAN Cooperation Mechanism for Joint Oil Spill Preparedness and Response (ASEAN MoU), which entered into force in 2014. It provides a mechanism whereby ASEAN Member States can request for, and provide mutual support in response to oil spills, to the extent allowed by their resources. The ROSCP was formally adopted in 2018. 

A Standard Operating Procedure exists for joint spill combat in the South China Sea including Brunei Bay with Malaysia.

Date of issue: September 2019