Large oil tankers and the Baltic marine environment: A statistical survey

The short Baltic export route for Russian oil is an attractive source of supply for the European energy market. The article examines the Russian oil export trade in the Baltic based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from 2005 matched with supplementary data. The first part of the article gives a survey of activities and characteristics of 261 large crude oil tankers, their flag states and owner countries. The second part views the data in the context of accidental oil spill risk. Greek and Russian owners are leading carriers in this trade. Russia plays a double leading role as oil exporter and shipowning country, securing major cargo shares for nationally owned vessels, while also giving a preferential spot in the trade to Greek owners. Where environmental aspects are concerned, previous research has linked vessel characteristics with the risk of casualty. Knowledge of flag, age, ownership and activity levels adds useful information about environmental risk. The data show that flags associated with very high casualty or detention probabilities were represented by 18% of the activity in this trade. Older vessels have a similar share, and at this particular time probably represent the more serious threat of accidental oil spills.     

落实科学发展观 提高辽宁辖区船舶溢油应急处置能力

船舶数量的增多和船舶大型化，使海上因船舶交通事故引发的船舶溢油风险概率大增。一直以来。由于我国对船舶溢油应急处置能力建设的滞后，有效应对海上溢油尤其是突发性重大溢油事故的能力还很弱，因此，尽快提高溢油应急处置能力具有重大的现实意义。文中从提高对船舶溢油应急处置能力重要性的认识出发。科学分析了造成应急处置能力低的根源，并从落实科学发展观的角度，具体提出了有效提高海上溢油应急处置能力的方法和途径。     

Modeling oil spills in a river—lake system

A general model shell, ROSS3, is developed for simulating oil spills in complex river systems using techniques which have not been previously exploited in oil spill models. ROSS3's new approach has several advantages over the approach to model oil spills in the past: (a) The use of a time-varying boundary-fitted coordinate system that allows accurate accounting for complex river/lake boundary as well as the river boundary changes as its water levels fluctuate; (b) The ability to confine two-dimensional hydrodynamic computations to a limited river reach; (c) The ability to interactively layout the channel networks for setting up the model, define extra cross sections to increase the accuracy if needed, in addition to the traditional data entry and visualization interfaces.ROSS3 is a two-layer two-dimensional oip spill model that can simulate the mechanism of advection, horizontal diffusion, mechanical spreading, shoreline deposition, evaporation, dissolution, vertical mixing, resurfacing and sinking. In ROSS3 spilled oil may be a surface slick or suspended oil droplets, or a combination of both. Both free surface and ice cover conditions can be simulated. The flow of conditions can be varied and the unsteady flow model can be run within ROSS3 to simulate the flow conditions in both the river and the lake. The ice conditions can be added or removed from the model input using easy interactive procedures.     

Environmental risk evaluation criteria

This paper describes an approach to incorporating environmental risk evaluation criteria within IMO’s guidelines for Formal Safety Assessment (FSA). Such criteria are currently absent from FSA, and the discussion to include them has just started. Said criteria are relevant for evaluating on a cost-benefit basis Risk Control Options (RCOs) for reducing oil spill pollution risk. Oil pollution may comefrom any ship, including bunker spills from non-tank vessels. RCOs are not necessarily ship-based, and may include vessel traffic management information systems (VTMIS) and other options. The proposed approach may be useful in extending FSA to cover environmental risk evaluation criteria and combines such criteria with criteria already in use in FSA. It can also readily be extended to environmental consequences other than oil pollution. Recent IMO developments on this matter are also reported.     

Field experiments and new design of a spilled oil tracking autonomous buoy

It is important to forecast the location of oil spills to realize effective and adequate oil spill response operations when huge oil spilsl occur. In order to enhance the accuracy of oil drifting simulations, one needs to obtain the meteorological and oceanographic data around the oil slick. In general, the drifting velocity vector of an oil spill contains a wind velocity vector and a water current velocity vector. SOTAB-II was developed for autonomous tracking of oil slicks drifting on the sea surface. It is equipped with a sail whose size and direction are controllable to drift along with the oil slick autonomously. In addition, SOTAB-II transmits its location and necessary measured data around it to the land base in real-time. The results of field experiments using SOTAB-II with a cylindrical hull brought us the effectiveness of the sail and its control. However, the drifting speed of SOTAB-II was lower than a theoretical speed for the oil slick. In order to overcome this problem, SOTAB-II was redesigned. A yacht shape was adopted to reduce the hydrodynamic drag in the water in the advancing direction. Transverse stability, scales of brake board and sail, maneuverability, and performance of tracking spilled oil on the sea surface were considered in the process of the design.     

Modelling the impact of double hull technology on oil spill numbers

This article presents the results of modelling the behaviour of oil spill numbers published by the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation over the period 1970 to 2005. Poisson count or negative binomial models are estimated to identify the major determinants of oil spill numbers over this period. The results are used to estimate the number of oil spills that would have occurred in the absence of the adoption of double hull technology. Other potential factors, such as changes in the regulatory regimes regarding oil transportation, were found to be insignificant.     

基于多功能溢油回收船的线面式溢油回收技术研究

介绍长江首艘多功能溢油回收船“海特311”的结构和性能,分析围油栏的布设方法,提出“线面式”溢油应急技术。介绍该技术的工作原理及工作效率,提出结合双体围油栏的使用的构思,以期更大限度地发挥多功能溢油回收船的作用。     

渤海冰期溢油非常规应对策略和技术

渤海冰期溢油非常规策略主要针对无法使用现有常规回收策略加以回收的有冰环境。文中提出的非常规应对策略依据海冰、溢油、海水之间微妙关系因势利导,提出解决冰期溢油极端情况下的处置难题。     

风场作用下趸船区域溢油动态模拟研究

以舟山定海港区某油库码头为背景建立了风场作用下的趸船区域溢油动态模型。针对趸船区域可能产生油品溢漏的位置,对趸船区域的溢油运动情况进行了模拟分析。模拟结果显示,当泄漏油品为柴油(850kg/m3,0.003825Pa·s)、泄漏点宽度为0.5m、油品泄漏速度为1m/s时,受风场作用,发生在趸船附近的溢油事故,其溢漏油品不仅随潮水运动流动,还会大量的在码头与岸线之间的区域及码头两端部附近产生积聚。在进行溢油事故快速控制和污油回收时,需要重点针对该区域进行监控防治。     

Determinants of the severity of passenger vessel accidents

This study investigates determinants of the number of injured, deceased and missing occupants and the damage cost of passenger vessel accidents that were investigated by the US Coast Guard for the years 1991-2001. Negative binomial and Poisson regression estimates suggest that: (1) passenger-freight combination vessel accidents incur greater injuries than other types of passenger vessels, (2) deaths are greater when precipitation weather and poor visibility exist and (3) missing occupants are greater for capsize accidents and larger the vessel. The damage cost per vessel gross ton is less for ocean cruise and steel-hulled vessels. The major conclusion of the study is that human (as opposed to environmental and vessel) causes of passenger vessel accidents result in increases in the number of injured, deceased and missing occupants.     

Total oil spill costs and compensations

Although counteracting environmental programmes and policies have been strengthened, large oil spills still occur at irregular intervals. The total oil spill costs and their compensations have attracted much interest from various parties, such as local stakeholders, and state and federal governments. This paper addresses five major cost categories whose aggregations are expected to cover the overall direct and indirect costs after the release of an oil spill. Among them, research costs should not be neglected, since they tend to be high if public attention has been drawn to the case. Through an examination of the relationship between the total oil spill costs and their admissible claims, we found that:

1. admissible claims do not cover the overall costs of the oil spill, and
2. admissible claims cannot be compensated in full in the case of large spills.

Clearly, a sound oil spill contingency management aims to minimize both the environmental impacts of areas most at risk and the total oil spill costs. In this paper an economic model for measuring environmental damages following an oil spill is addressed and applied to the Prestige case which happened to be the worst oil pollution in the history of Spain. The model indicates how an ideally a priori economic evaluation may intuitively help managers to make informed as well as fast decisions in contingency cases.     

A comparative analysis of the European and North-American approaches to dealing with major oil spills

Background  

The question of what should be the right level of preparedness to react to a major oil spill (i.e. the EXXON VALDEZ spill, the ERIKA spill, and the PRESTIGE spill) is highly debated, especially in the aftermath of such spills. Little research, however, has been conducted with the aim to identify and compare governments’ best practices not only to fund preparedness measures but also to assess the countries’ ability to respond effectively to catastrophic oil spills. It is the author’s belief that important lessons can be learnt from a comparative analysis of countries’ best practices.     

Oil spill contingency plans and policies in Norway and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Tankers and offshore exploration and production facilities are the main sources of marine oil spills in the North Sea. Both Norway and the United Kingdom conduct vigorous programs to improve oil spill response, including systematic research and testing of oil spill cleanup technology, regional stockpiling of oil spill response equipment, training of response personnel, and conducting periodic in‐water oil spill “war games.”; The United Kingdom relies on chemical dispersants, while Norway prefers the use of mechanical containment and recovery devices. Norway also requires its offshore operators to demonstrate that their oil spill response equipment and contingency plans meet specific performance standards.     

珠江口区域海上溢油动态预测信息系统的开发与应用

为了对《珠江口区域溢油应急计划》提供决策支持,在国内外相关研究成果基础上,针对珠江口海域的特点,研究开发了先进实用的"珠江口区域海上溢油动态预报信息系统",综合了三维潮流模型、三维溢油扩散模型、溢油风化模型、应急反应模型、以及电子海图、地理信息系统(GIS)、数据库等关键技术。该系统可以预测模拟并可视化显示海上溢油的漂移扩散和性质变化过程,同时显示环境敏感区和应急人员设备分布等相关信息。实际溢油应用案例表明,该系统的预报模拟结果与现场实际情况完全相符,能有效地提高海上溢油污染事故的应急决策效率。     

Total oil spill costs and compensations

Although counteracting environmental programmes and policies have been strengthened, large oil spills still occur at irregular intervals. The total oil spill costs and their compensations have attracted much interest from various parties, such as local stakeholders, and state and federal governments. This paper addresses five major cost categories whose aggregations are expected to cover the overall direct and indirect costs after the release of an oil spill. Among them, research costs should not be neglected, since they tend to be high if public attention has been drawn to the case. Through an examination of the relationship between the total oil spill costs and their admissible claims, we found that:

1. admissible claims do not cover the overall costs of the oil spill, and

2. admissible claims cannot be compensated in full in the case of large spills.

Clearly, a sound oil spill contingency management aims to minimize both the environmental impacts of areas most at risk and the total oil spill costs. In this paper an economic model for measuring environmental damages following an oil spill is addressed and applied to the Prestige case which happened to be the worst oil pollution in the history of Spain. The model indicates how an ideally a priori economic evaluation may intuitively help managers to make informed as well as fast decisions in contingency cases.     

天津港某液体化工码头船舶污染影响模拟研究

本研究以潮流计算结果和风场资料分析结果为依据,采用溢油模型对海上溢油的扩散、漂移和岸线吸附等物化过程进行模拟,分析研究预测油膜的演变,预测油膜漂移轨迹和归宿。计算结果表明当南港港池口门位置处发生溢油事故后,油膜均会漂出南港口门外,在风的作用下会对周边环境一定范围内产生一定影响。     

从溢油处理技术的需求论多功能溢油回收船型的开发

本文是作者参与和从事多功能溢油回收船型开发工作的总结。文章比较系统地分析研究了溢油的监视、围控和回收等关键技术和设备、措施，指出了多功能溢油回收船应该具备的技术特点，并提出了对多功能溢油回收船型的开发和设计工作的若干建议，可供从事此种船舶的项目开发和设计参考应用。     

Consensus Building in Oil Spill Response Planning Using a Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation

Major accidental oil spills still affect ecologically and economically sensitive marine areas and shorelines, even though environmental programs and policies have led to an increase of ship safety measures. The aim of decision making during oil spill response management is to minimize pollution effects on coastal areas, once spills occur. However, limited equipments or options prevent such a globally satisfying combat strategy. Thus, often preferences between different coastal areas or uses, respectively, have to be made in an operational way. Such a management issue is here taken as a multigroup multicriteria decision-making problem involving a variety of stakeholders and natural dynamic environments. For solving such a complex problem, this article proposes a second order fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) model, which takes the influence of multiple criteria and the knowledge of different interested groups into account and further provides a basis for simulating a voting-based decision process. With the combination of oil fate simulations and FCE technique, managers are able to realize an integrated management for oil spill. Through a case study of the Prestige accident off the Spanish coast in 2002, it is demonstrated that the model provides a simple, effective and adaptable method to solve operational management problems related to complex human nature interactions as realized during oil spill management. Moreover, a series of analyses and comparisons are focused on to explore potentials and limitations of the FCE for further applications in the field of multigroup multicriteria decision making.     

国内溢油回收船现状及溢油回收装置选型研究

针对当前海上溢油风险的日益增加,以及防污染对专业溢油回收设备及专业溢油回收船的需求,介绍了目前国内溢油回收船的现状,并对国内外溢油回收装置的特点进行了分析比较,希望为用户在选择溢油回收设备及建设专业溢油回收船方面起到指导作用。     

论船舶溢油污染及应急反应

近年来油船的数量和吨位越来越大,油船进出港口次数日渐增加,船舶发生海损事故的几率也随之增加。由于船舶碰撞等海难事故而发生的溢油,也成为海域污染的主要污染源之一。目前我国的海上溢油应急防治能力还是较低的,与国际上相关先进成果相比,理论和实用性方面均有一定差距,提高海上溢油应急反应能力刻不容缓。