Case Study: Local OSRL Partnership Enhances Gibraltar Port Authority Response Readiness
The service ensures that the port is ready to respond to Tier 2 oil spills whilst at the same time enhancing its operational cohesion with OSRL as its Tier 3 response provider.
Gibraltar Port is located at a crossroads of Mediterranean and Atlantic shipping lanes. The port provides a wide range of services to vessels of all sizes and types, with nearly 240 million gross tonnes of vessel calls per year. With over 71,000 vessels transiting the Strait of Gibraltar each year, it has developed into a major bunkering port – the largest in the Mediterranean. This level of shipping traffic and other operations conducted within the port led to a requirement for a Tier 2 response service provider in Gibraltar to provide an initial local response in the event of an incident.
The Solution
OSRL was able to fulfil this requirement through collaborating with a local industrial maintenance service provider, Brightside Services Limited.
Brightside Services Limited were chosen due to their experience in responding to local oil spills ranging from minor oil spills both on land and at sea, to larger incidents.
Through OSRL, Brightside Services Limited provides:
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Fully trained in-country Tier 2 response personnel, primary and secondary response teams, available 24/7
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A Tier 2 oil spill response equipment stockpile, fully maintained and ready for mobilisation 24/7
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Maintenance service for the port’s own Tier 1 oil spill response equipment stockpile
To enable Brightside Services Limited to offer the highest service standard, OSRL provides:
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Oil spill response training to Brightside Services Limited’s response personnel
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Advice and guidance to the Gibraltar Port Authority regarding suitability and maintenance of port-owned equipment to ensure availability as a response-ready asset
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An annual audit of Brightside Services Limited’s response personnel, facilities, equipment and procedures.
The Result
OSRL and Brightside Services Limited’s response capabilities have been put to the test in recent years, having been involved in both the cargo ship Fedra oil spill in 2008 and the Gibraltar Port Tank Farm Fire in 2011. Brightside Services Limited personnel are now a part of OSRL’s worldwide call out team and have worked towards a tailored version of OSRL’s Approved Competence Management System (ACMS). This enables greater operational cohesion through ongoing assessment and verification of Brightside Services Limited’s response capabilities.
During training and maintenance activities, a number of exercises designed to test the abilities of both OSRL and Brightside Services Limited have been carried out with the joint involvement of Gibraltar Port Authority’s personnel. This has the added benefit of also enhancing Gibraltar Port Authority’s response capabilities.
The partnership between OSRL and Brightside Services Limited has been proven to be highly successful and is an excellent example of how, through partnership with OSRL, local tier two service provision can maximise response readiness.
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