Spill Notification Point

Competent National Authority

Response Arrangements

FSM comprises 607 islands and coral atolls administered from Palikir, Pohnpei.  The Department of Transportation, Communication & Infrastructure is the office responsible for maritime affairs.  The focal point for government control during an oil spill would be the Office of the President in Palikir.  The Kolonia Port Authority controls shipping movements to the capital's main port, and would act as a notification point outside office hours.  The contact point for each of the other main FSM islands with ports (Kosrae, Chuuk and Yap) is the Office of the Governor or Port Authority.

Micronesia is a member of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and party to the SPREP Protocol Concerning Cooperation in Combating Pollution Emergencies in the South Pacific, which provides the legal framework through which marine spill contingency planning is addressed.   SPREP has prepared PACPOL, the Pacific Ocean Pollution Prevention Programme, which has drafted the Pacific Islands Regional Marine Spill Contingency Plan (PACPLAN).  This was endorsed by Members in September 2000 as the regional framework through which the SPREP Pollution Emergencies Protocol would be operationalised.  PACPLAN only applies to spills where regional cooperation and/or

supraregional assistance are required.  It does not cover Tier One and Tier Two spills. At the national level, PACPOL has provided Micronesia with assistance in formulating its national plan, consistent with PACPLAN and international best practice.  Some individual states and local oil companies also have their own plans.

Response Policy

The national response policy is not known.  The prevalence of coral reefs, mangroves and artisanal fisheries makes the whole area sensitive to oil spills, and a resource assessment is currently being undertaken by central government.  No facilities for oily waste disposal exist locally, and wastes would have to be exported for final treatment and disposal.

Equipment

Government & Private

A small amount of specialist equipment is available locally.  This includes boom, skimmers and sorbent pads.  Labour may be available through local departments of public works. Vessels and surveillance aircraft are not readily available commercially.  In order to assist each Pacific Island country and territory to establish the optimum equipment inventory for its situation, PACPOL is carrying out a review of marine spill combat needs in 2003 with funding from the International Maritime Organization and Canada.  Once the review is completed, the project will seek to secure sources of support to procure the necessary equipment, plus provide training in its use and long-term maintenance.

The most significant stockpiles of marine spill response equipment held within the region are: American Samoa (US Coast Guard and oil industry/contractor); Guam (USCG and oil industry/contractor) and New Caledonia (French Navy).  Access to this equipment is available via the Request for Assistance procedures under PACPOL.

Previous Spill Experience

The Pohnpei State emergency response plan was put into action when the MV DANG DELIMA, a 5903 gt freighter, grounded on 17 June 1994 spilling over 2500 gallons of heavy oil (Bunker C) into Pohnpei water.  It is not known how the cleanup was carried out.  PACPLAN was activated in 2001 in response to a spill from a sunken World War II US Navy oil tanker at Ulithi Atoll, Yap State, when the FSM requested assistance from the United States.

Compensation

* not yet in force  Micronesia is not a party to any of the above conventions.

Regional & Bilateral Agreements

• Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region (Noumea Convention) with states of the South Pacific Region

Date of issue: November 2012