N.Z. ‘ill-equipped’ to handle big oil spill at sea

Press, 24 May 1977, Page 2

N.Z. ‘ill-equipped’ to handle big oil spill at sea

PA Wellington It might be up to 38 hours before dispersal equipment could be got to a big oil sp’l! in New Zealand waters, the Commission for the Environment said yesterday. In a report to the Minister of the Environment (Mr V. S. Young), the commission points out what it considers to be deficiencies in the Ministry of Transport’s contingency plan for oil spills. Details of the plan are expected to be announced in about a month. It said the dispersal equipment in New Zealand was inadequate for a big oil spill. 1

“With the present volume of dispersant available (123,750 litres), the ability to deal with a major spill could be limited, because ordinary cargo ships may carry bunker oil needing well in excess of this amount of dispersant,” it said. “Under adverse circumstances the volume of dispersant required could be equal to the volume of oil itself. “The Ministry of Transport at present suposes that it would be as quick to move pumping equipment, dispersants an J other gear by road as to attempt to use air transport,” said the commission. "The R.NZA.F. is unable to guarantee the presence of

a Hercules aircraft in New Zealand, and there are safety factors which may discourage commercial operators from carrying some of the chemicals by air. “As a result, it is estimated that it could take up to 38 hours to get the equipment to the scene of an oil spill.” Even were aircraft available, weather might close nearby airfields. The Ministry had decided to store its equipment at Auckland, because of the concentration of shipping in the northern waters of New Zealand, said the commission, which was also critical of the wide power given to an “onscene controller” by the contingency plan.

There might be a conflict of responsibilities between this person and the Civil Defence controller if the oil spill occured during a bad storm, in which the Civil Defence controller had powers to take whatever equipment he needed. At present, the only person who could authorise spending on an oil spill w r as the Director of Marine, said the report, urging that financial provisions similar to those of the Civil Defence Act should be provided. It made the point that the contingency plan also said nothing about the transfer of oil from a damaged vessel to another tanker.