Training on the Job on prevention and emergency response in case of marine oil pollution – Limbe (Cameroon)

The MARENDA project delivered its fourth Training on the Job Activity in partnership with the Port Authority of Doula. The training was developed and implemented from 16 to 25 January 2017 at the Port of Douala premises in Limbe.

The objectives of the training were the following:

– Enhance knowledge on selected aspects of oil spill response and contingency planning among key organisations involved in preparedness and response to oil spills.

– Test and improve communication and coordination between relevant stakeholders involved in contingency planning in Côte d’Ivoire.

In order to achieve these objectives the training was organized in two different parts. On the one hand, a thematic part (16 – 20 January) was focused on the following subjects:

– Sources and causes of oil spills.

– Different types of oil products.

– Behavior and evolution of hydrocarbons spilled at sea.

– Strategies to combat marine oil pollution.

– Evolution of a pollution – at sea and on land.

– Methodological Approach to Solving a Crisis.

– Third party response and Area Responsibility concepts.

-Policy and use of dispersants.

– Types of barriers and skimmers.

– Containment, recovery and storage at sea and in port

– Safety of personnel at sea.

– Protection of sensitive sites.

– Types of cleaning depending on the type of environment

On the other hand, a Table top Exercise (23 – 25 January) was carried out with the aim to test communication and coordination between different emergency plans against marine pollution by hydrocarbons (national, port, oil industry, etc.).

The training gathered approx. 20 participants from different Organizations of Cameroon and companies involved in maritime pollution and protection of the marine environment Port Authority of Douala (PAD), National Refinery Corporation (SONARA), Port Authority of Kribi (PAK), Ministry of Transport (MINT), Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and National Hydrocarbons Corporation.

The event was the last of a series of similar trainings; a first seminar was carried out in Dakar (Senegal) at the Trainmar Centre from 11-20 January 2016, a second seminar held on in Accra (Ghana) EPA’s facilities from 15-24 February 2016, a third was developed from 19-28 September 2016 at the Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Centre (Kirikiri) a fourth seminar took place in Ivory Coast from 28 September to 7 October 2016 at the CIAPOL headquarters in Abidjan.