The 2012 Balex Delta oil spill response exercise was conducted in the sea region outside Helsinki, Finland, which included dozens of Finnish organizations, over 20 oil pollution response vessels, over 50 other vessels, and over 500 people from European Union Member States and Baltic Sea states, including Finland.
Photo: SYKE
This exercise is conducted every year under the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area. The Finnish Environment Institute SYKE is the coordinator of this year’s event. The Finnish Defence Forces, the Finnish Border Guard, and Meritaito took part in the event with their aircraft recovery vessels and personnel. Moreover, equipment and staff from Kymenlaakso, Länsi- and Itä-Uusimaa, and Helsinki rescue authorities participated in the exercise.
The exercise involved recreation of a major oil tanker accident which occurred in the Gulf of Finland, whereupon 15,000 tons of crude oil spilled into the sea. For this purpose, peat is employed to simulate the oil. The objective of the exercise is to ensure the cooperation between national and international oil spill response agencies and vessels. During the exercise, all features of the oil spill response operations, ranging from sending alarms to recovered waste disposal, were tested. Crews at ashore and sea practiced the implementation of oil containment booms, oil spill mapping, oil recovery, preparedness for shoreline cleanup, shoreline protection, logistics and oiled wildlife response.
The Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department of the European Commission largely funded this year’s exercise.
Source: http://www.environment.fi
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