Spill Notification Point

Competent National Authority

Response Arrangements

A draft national marine oil spill contingency plan was drawn up in March 2002. In the context of the Plan, the Maritime Transport Administration is responsible for providing overall coordination of the response to a spill event in or near the harbours of Georgia and offshore.  For spills at the Supsa terminal reference is made to MRCC Georgia and the Georgian Pipeline Company (GPC) Oil Spill Response Plan. 

Under the Plan, the lead authority for the implementation of the NCP will be the Maritime Transport Administration.  If an oil spill occurs the Lead Authority will arrange for surveillance of the oil slick and, by use of meteorological and hydrographic data, predicts its probable movement.  The result of such observations should be transmitted to other parties (countries, harbours, GPC etc) which may be affected by the pollution incident.  If assistance from other Black Sea countries or GPC is required, the Head of the MRCC-OPRC shall request assistance directly. 

The Head of MRCC-OPRC will be the Incident Coordinator (IC) acting as overall response manager for any emergency situation.  Based upon the level of response called for, the IC will have the Emergency Response Team (ERT), the Convention Inspection for the Protection of the Black Sea, the Port Authorities of Poti and Batumi, the Coastguard, the Oil Terminal in Supsa and GPC briefed and ready to mobilise on site.  The On Scene Commander will be the Harbour Master.  In Supsa he will be assisted by the most senior GPC staff member at the spill site.  He is responsible for implementing and coordinating tactical response activities safely and efficiently utilising all on-scene resources.  The Emergency Response Team (ERT) in Batumi and Poti is made up primarily of staff from the Port Authority and supplemented by Coast Guard staff and Oil Terminal personnel (in Batumi).  The ERT in Supsa is made up of staff from the Marine Operations Group supplemented by Supsa Terminal staff (with back-up in Tblisi).  The expert team of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection (MoE) (Tblisi and Adjara) and the environmental department of GPC will act as Environmental Experts (EE).  MoE is responsible for maintaining and implementing an in-house Geographic Information System (GIS) covering the entire coastal sections of western Georgia.  Impact areas and their sensitivities can be accessed through this system and the information disseminated to appropriate parties.  The Pollution Control Coordinator (PCC) is responsible in the event of a spill to advise on appropriate actions that need to be taken in order to limit and mitigate the effects of the spilled oil on the surrounding marine environment.  The PCC will act as the main contact point between field activities and the MoE. 

For a Tier 1 event the terminal operator will act as the On Scene Commander.  Oil spill response equipment and materials will be distributed from available stockpiles.  The level of response for a Tier 2 incident requires the IC to mobilise additional in-country manpower and resources.  These will be requested from GPC in Supsa and Chevroil in Batumi (and other Briggs Marine equipment available).  The OSC will mobilise via the harbour master, Captain-Coordinator or the MRCC-OPRC the emergency response teams.  For a Tier 3 incident MRCC will act as On Scene Commander and Seacor Co Ltd, Oil Spill Response Ltd (OSRL) (UK) and Briggs Marine in Baku can be activated by Chevroil in Batumi or GPC in Supsa.  Request of Tier 3 resources will be authorised only by the IC.

A draft Regional Emergency Plan for states bordering the Black Sea has been prepared by the IMO.  An Emergency Response Activity Centre of the Black Sea Region is situated in Varna, Bulgaria.

Response Policy

The NCP discusses various spill scenarios and response actions.  For Georgia the following possibilities of combat are applicable: do nothing; mechanical dispersion; shoreline cleanup; mechanical removal from the water surface; chemical dispersion.  The decision to use dispersants in the Georgian Territorial Sea will be with the OSC as authorised by the IC of the Maritime Transport Administration. 

Equipment

Government

The ports of Batumi and Poti both have a skimming vessel and storage barge.  The Supsa oil terminal has a vessel mounted recovery system and mobile storage tanks. 

Private

GPC Marine operates 3 support vessels and has a well-stocked, dedicated Environmental Response Store.  Portable storage containers, including a 100 cubic metre dracone are available for the storage of recovered oil.  To mobilise equipment of the private sector special cooperation arrangements must be developed, since the equipment is dedicated to safe transportation of crude via the SBM system and may not be available at the time of an incident.

Previous Spill Experience

Not known.

Compensation

* not yet in force 

Regional & Bilateral Agreements

• The Declaration of 6-7 April 1993 related to the implementation of the Bucharest Convention (Odessa Convention)
• The Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea (1996)

Date of issue: July 2006