As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure enhanced capacity to respond effectively in the event of an oil spill, ExxonMobil Guyana recently staged another training exercise for employees and relevant stakeholder agencies.
The response drill was the culmination of a three-day training course on the Incident Command System, a standardized on-scene all-risk, incident management structure. ExxonMobil Guyana employees and contractors were joined by representatives from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Maritime Administration (MARAD), GDF Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy in an all-day simulation exercise on February 21, last.
This exercise provided participants with the opportunity to perform and execute current response management concepts and procedures detailed in ExxonMobil Guyana’s Oil Spill Response Plan.
Captain Salim October, CDC operations and training officer, believes that participation in such exercises tests the readiness of the CDC and related agencies to respond to an oil spill, should this become necessary.
“It is critical that we engage in these preparatory exercises that help to enhance our capabilities and skills to execute the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. We have to anticipate issues and problems and work them out in a framework of support and learning. Prior to this exercise, we’ve been involved in others led by a number of operators including ExxonMobil. We’ve benefitted from industry specific training which includes deployment of oil spill equipment, Incident Command Systems and Risk Communication among a number of other topics,” Captain October said.
He added that participation in these types of exercises helps the CDC, which is the national coordinating body in the event of an emergency, understand the capacity of the various governmental agencies in order to identify existing gaps.
