The United States Coast Guard (USCG), in collaboration with the US State Department, yesterday concluded a three-day workshop with members of the National Oil Spill Committee. This workshop was geared at assessing the risks associated with several oil spill-related scenarios along Guyana’s coast. This activity is part of a six-month series of joint operations designed to aid Guyana in the development of an efficient national response mechanism and to enhance maritime oil spill prevention, planning and response capabilities.
The National Oil Spill Committee is comprised of agencies such as the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, The Hydrometeorological Office thru the Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Guyana Marine Conservation Society, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the GDF Coast Guard.
The virtual workshop, held on January 18, 26 and 27, built on the progress Guyana has made with the development of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. The USCG facilitators guided the workshop participants through a myriad of oil spill scenarios so as to ascertain the most probable and consequential outcomes. Those results were then used to outline possible improvements to the national oil spill plan.
Stakeholder engagement and feedback were consistent and helpful throughout the three-day activity. Environmental, cultural, social, health and other factors were weighed when assessing the risk and vulnerability relevant to each community along Guyana’s coastland. Protected areas were identified and geolocations for sensitive sites were also inputted.
CDC’s Preparedness and Response Manager, Major Salim October, lauded the workshop as an extremely fruitful process. He said that since Guyana is still relatively new to the Oil and Gas sector such insight and thorough planning is essential.
Major October added, “This puts Guyana at a great advantage in terms of planning ahead and preparing for almost every likely scenario. The workshop took into account local dynamics in several arenas and birthed a result that the Guyanese people will be comfortable with. We still have many other activities over the next few months to further prepare us but we are in a good position as this moment.”
Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, Director General of the CDC, indicated his satisfaction with the support received from the US Government. He was also grateful to the stakeholders for their continued commitment in building Guyana’s Oil Spill Response Capacity.
“There will be consistent capacity enhancement as Guyana gains experience working with Oil and Gas companies and agencies…” added the Director-General. Other Oil Spill Committee members added their knowledge and expertise to the venture. The Guyana Marine Conservation Society, MARAD, EPA, GGMC, and GDF Coast Guard gave tremendous scope to the scenarios which allowed the facilitators to adjust their estimates accordingly.
The remaining activities for the National Oil Spill Committee in 2022 will include a virtual Programme Management Training exercise and in-person exchanges to observe oil spill response exercises.
