Director General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig noted today that the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan was recently handed over at the Office of the Prime Minister. The official said that the work on the finished plan was months in the making and involved the input of many key stakeholders such as the Maritime Administrative Department (MARAD), Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).
He noted that with Guyana’s emerging Oil and Gas Sector, the need was highlighted for an oil spill response mechanism that will protect Guyana’s land and sea resources should the need arise.
Receiving the Plan on behalf of the Government of Guyana was Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Hon. Mark Phillips who noted that he was very pleased with such a strategy that will ably assist the Government’s programme of disaster preparedness in the sector. He expressed gratitude to the CDC for the work done and singled out Ms. Anita Wilson-Layne for her coordination of the stakeholders and compilation of the comprehensive Plan.
He further assured Guyanese that with such a Plan that commits the efforts of multi-sectoral agencies, our preparedness and response will be to the benefit of all.
Guyana Standard understands that the National Emergency Oil Spill Plan was crafted with valuable inputs from the Guyana Marine Conservation Society, Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Shipping Association of Guyana, ExxonMobil, Tullow, Guyoil, Repsol, Shell, GAICO Construction and other stakeholders.
The CDC Head expressed thanks to the members of the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan Working Group for their expertise and input into the finished Plan. These are; Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, Captain Salim October and Ms. Anita Wilson-Layne from CDC; Capt. John Flores and Mr. Joel Hinds of MARAD, Ms. Thandiwe Benn of GEA; Lt. (CG) Roul Williams, Lt. (CG) Luther Singh both of the GDF; Ms. Aminah Damon-McPherson, Ms. Melinda Franklin, Mr. Michael Harding all of the EPA, Ms. Marissa Foster of the Department of Energy and Mr. Paul Williams from the GGMC.
