Spill Notification Point

Competent National Authority

Response Arrangements

A National Oil Spill Contingency Plan prepared in 1994 and revised in 1996 establishes the spill response strategy and organisation for Anguilla.  Anguilla completed a comprehensive Disaster Management Strategy which encompasses all hazards including oil spills in 2005, and efforts are currently being made to update the Spill Response Plan. The lead agency for government control during an oil spill is the National Disaster Preparedness Office (NDPO) in the Office of the Chief Minister. A Marine Pollution Action Group (MPAG) is convened to assist the lead agency in the event of a spill, and comprises representatives from various government departments and the oil industry (Shell Antilles and Guianas Ltd). The MPAG will be chaired by the Deputy Governor of Anguilla. The On-Scene Commander (OSC) would be appointed from the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, under the overall control and direction of the NDPO/MPAG. An Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been established at Police Headquarters, The Valley.

The oil industry (Shell) has agreed to provide the first tier of response for the government, and tier 2 and 3 response in cases where one of their tankers is involved.  In other cases, further assistance would be sought from the UK and from adjacent Caribbean Island States using alerting procedures identified in the Caribbean Island OPRC Plan through REMPETIC-Carib in Curaçao.

Response Policy

Anguilla favours the combined approach of containment/recovery, use of approved chemical dispersants and manual shoreline cleanup. There are, however, no local stockpiles of dispersant chemical or application equipment. The prevalence of sensitive resources (corals, mangroves, fisheries and tourism) would necessitate consultation with MPAG before using chemicals to combat a spill.

Small volumes of oily beach material could be landfilled at the Anguilla public refuse tip, but larger volumes and bulk oily wastes would have to be exported for final treatment and disposal.

Equipment

Government

There is no government owned recovery equipment in stock on the island for offshore counter measures.  The Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing would arrange for local labour and some earth moving equipment for shoreline clean-up. 

Small vessels and tugs, normally employed by the tourist industry may be able to assist with at-sea response. Helicopters for air surveillance are available from Puerto Rico, St. Croix and St. Thomas in the USVI, and from nearby St. Maarten. Fixed wing charter aircraft are available from local firms at Wallblake Airport.

Private

Limited resources for oil spill response are held by Shell Antilles and Guianas Ltd. In addition, three tankers on long term charter to Shell Trading Co./Shell Antilles and Guianas Ltd, which deliver products throughout the Caribbean, carry on board oil pollution response equipment. The equipment is primarily intended for use by shoreside personnel only. No specialist oil spill clean-up contractors are locally available.

Previous Spill Experience

Minor spills have occurred from small boat traffic. A spill from an unidentified source contaminated many east-facing shorelines with tarballs in January 1994. The beaches were cleaned manually, and the wastes disposed of to landfill.

Compensation

* not yet in force 

Regional & Bilateral Agreements

• Anguilla is not a party to any regional or bilateral agreements, but has the intention to start negotiations on bilateral agreements with neighbouring island states and territories regarding mutual assistance in the event of a spill.

Date of issue: November 2005