Project Details
| Project Name | AMSA Response Call Out |
| Project Location | Brisbane Facility |
| Division | Marine |
| End user | DFAT |
| Client | Australian Maritime Safety Authority |
| OPEC project manager | Adrian Hawes |
| Year completed | 2019 |
Project Description
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is the Federal agency responsible for responding to maritime oil spill events within Australia. The contract includes providing suitably equipped facilities at strategic locations and to have qualified staff to undertake maintenance on the oil spill equipment to ensure it is operationally ready at all times.
In March 2019, the MV Solomon Trader ran aground on Rennel Island following the effects of a cyclone. Subsequently an oil pollution event occurred and an incident was activated as part of the Pacific Island Contingency Plan. The Australian Government was tasked through AMSA with providing support to the Solomon Government to resolve the incident and OPEC Systems was engaged to support this event.
OPEC Scope
On the 12th March 2019, OPEC’s Marine Division was notified of an oil spill incident which occurred in the Solomon Islands which required the deployment of AMSA equipment to support the Australian Aid response.
OPEC was notified using the 24/7 on-call framework and had crew immediately available to:
• open the facility
• make the equipment requested ready for transportation
• engage a preferred supplier (already vetted contractor) to transport the equipment in the asset management system
• activate the equipment in the asset management system
• provide specialised crew to support and manage the equipment whilst deployed.
The event had a duration of 2 months, with OPEC Systems providing expert advice and support to the Federal government throughout the response.
Key staff were deployed to Honiara as part of the first Australian contingency for the response and undertook preliminary assessment and implementation of action plans.
Following the stand-down of the event, OPEC successfully arranged for the following:
• Return of equipment back to home facility
• Log and track equipment back into facility with asset management system • Repatriate equipment to operational readiness.
Challenges / Solutions
- Out of country response created complexity for DFAT and AMSA support
- Lack if decision making from DFAT delayed implementation
- Repatriation of equipment by DFAT had to duplicated once delivered back to OPEC from response due to poor understanding of equipment
- OPEC was subsequently engaged to repatriate all equipment once it had arrived back in country
Innovations
• Successfully activated and deployed resources to support an oil spill response activity from three different stockpiles (Brisbane, Townsville and Sydney)
• Effectively deployed equipment to destination location after notification • Successfully deployed labour to support incident for 21 days.
