Conference Schedule

The dynamics of navigation, shiphandling and collision avoidance intrinsically link a master, bridge team and their vessel with a port's safety support structures in the context of the tides, currents, wind, hazards and other vessels in confined waters. On the bridge, there is a heightened level of readiness to meet the increased level of external threats and manage risks to the crew, cargo, vessel, environment, other vessels, shore infrastructure and local activity. This paper will describe the findings of the Marine Pollution Risk Assessment for the Pacific Islands Region with a particular focus on risk mitigation through prevention. Cases studies of Rarotonga and Papette illustrate the application of a technique used to integrate navigation risk assessment into waterway design methodology.

The use of technology allows for a greater data capture and a more professional result when updating or creating Response and Contingency Plans. Digitized maps may be downloaded from the internet and manipulated to create a custom map with very specific location information. These maps may be included in plans and be easily updated and accessed, electronically, during a spill event or to address agency questions. Some agencies are requiring CD submissions so that plans may be posted on the internet and be made available for public review, as well as being portable for meetings and during spills. This poster presentation will display examples of different types of maps that may be used in planning.

In December, 2008, a ground breaking In-Situ Burn (ISB) Practitioners Workshop was sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The workshop brought together for the first time wild land fire management specialists, Federal trustees, researchers, industry members, and a representative from The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The workshop focused on providing field practitioners with an opportunity to share their expertise, define best practices and lessons learned, and develop a forward looking plan to advance ISB policy, research and training for the oil spill response community.

In the wake of the Barge DM932 oil spill in New Orleans (2008) and several other major spills in recent years, NOAA's Assessment & Restoration Division (ARD) has developed a series of standardized assessment products to improve our emergency Natural Resource Damage Assessment capabilities. ARD will follow product development in 15 core areas with targeted field training to standardize and streamline ephemeral data collection and management within the agency and collaboration with other agencies.

In 2008, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) District 13 (D13) along with the Department of the Interior and Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) initiated a coordinated training program for tribal members located out on Washington (WA) state's outer coast. Key elements of the program included training individuals and key tribal leaders on deployment of response equipment, implementing Geographical Response Strategies (GRS) and providing 24-hour HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard) certification.

Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies (SMART) is a cooperatively designed monitoring program for in-situ burning and dispersant application. Since it's inception, the dispersant component of SMART has utilized the Turner Designs 10-AU fluorometer as the primary instrument to measure oil in sea water. Though this instrument has served the program well, new advances in in-situ fluorometry show the potential of a new generation of instruments. Clean Islands Council, in conjunction with Turner Designs has developed and evaluated one such instrument. The Turner Designs C-3 fluorometer shows great promise in enhancing the effectiveness and deployability of a fluorometry based SMART program.

Registration Fee: $195

This course is designed to aid aerial observers in preparing for an aerial survey, identifying and describing oil slicks, standardizing documentation procedures, and reporting such information in a clear and consistent format. Attendees should already have a basic understanding of oil fate and behavior and open-water response techniques, as these topics will serve as the foundation for developing sound aerial observation and spotting techniques.

Discussions will include basic surveillance aircraft and tools (GPS, digital video/photography, clinometers, radios, computer tracking systems, etc.); however, an emphasis will be put on skills needed by an effective observer to see, interpret, and document the location and nature of floating oil. In addition, classroom discussions and case examples will be used to help develop the skills necessary to spot  (i.e. guide, evaluate, and assist as necessary) with aerial and/or surface operations involving the booming, skimming, burning, or dispersing of oil at sea. The instructor will draw on 40 years of experience as an aerial observer who has worked on hundreds of oil spills worldwide under tropical, temperate, and arctic conditions.

THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

During a spill event, information is key to making good decisions on how to respond. Field observations, trajectory predictions, and weather forecasts need to be put together to make a coherent picture of the situation. This course provides an overview of a variety of spill case histories with discussion of the science that governs how spills behave. Observations discussed include overflight maps, beach surveys and simple oceanographic sampling. Different types of trajectory modeling will be demonstrated, including working with multiple (stochastic) trajectory simulations. Students will learn the basics of how to put together a spill timeline from the past to the present and into the future using field information and predictions, and how to integrate results with GIS applications such as ArcView® and Google Earth.

No prior experience required, as this course contains both rules of thumb  and sophisticated analysis techniques.

You've been awakened by the phone call - OIL HAS SPILLED INTO THE BAY - maybe a lot of oil, maybe it's still spilling; now you've got to wake up and respond. This session will explore the dynamics of managing a successful response. How do you keep your organization agile and effective, yet remain comprehensive and inclusive. After initial presentations, panel members will share their insights and experience and offer answers to your questions.

Hear what you need to know to conduct business in the Pacific States and the Province of British Columbia directly from the regulators who are responsible for implementation and enforcement. An informative presentation on the West Coast Governors' Agreement of Ocean Health will be followed by updates by the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force and new initiatives from the Canadian and U.S. federal agencies. This fast-paced and informative Super Session will address current changes in the way you do business.

Marking the 20th Anniversary of both the Exxon Valdez spill and the formation of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force, this session will review key lessons learned from milestone oil spill events over the past twenty years, the regulations and policies that grew out of those events, and what challenges remain to be addressed. Speakers will represent federal, state, and provincial regulators, response organizations, the regulated industry, citizen committees, and advocacy groups. This Super Session will combine presentations and a panel discussion.

Dick Pedersen, the Oregon Task Force Member, will chair this opening

session. After introductions of all Pacifi c States/British Columbia

Oil Spill Task Force Members, Jessica Hamilton, Natural Resource

Policy Advisor for Governor Ted Kulongoski, will welcome participants

to Oregon. U.S. Coast Guard VADM (Select) Jody Breckenridge

will give the Keynote Address. The Pacifi c States/ British Columbia

Oil Spill Task Force Executive Coordinator, Jean Cameron, will honor

the Task Force's 20th anniversary with a review of accomplishments

as well as future goals. She and Dick Pedersen will then present

the Task Force's 2009 Legacy Awards. Legacy Awards are given to

industry, nonprofi t or public agency organizations and individuals,

or for team efforts that demonstrate innovation, management commitment,

and improvements in oil spill prevention, preparedness,

or response. The 1999-2008 Legacy Award Honor Roll will also be

reviewed in honor of the Oil Spill Task Force's 20th Anniversary.

Representatives from the Washington Oil Spill Advisory Council, the Prince William Regional Citizens Advisory Council (RCAC), and the Cook Inlet RCAC will present their major recent accomplishments and work products. Washington's Council will discuss a recent technical study on Capacity in Washington to respond to large-scale oil spills. Prince William Sound RCAC will discuss a project on reduction of emissions of hazardous air pollutants from the operating processes at Alyeska's Ballast Water Treatment Facility. The Cook Inlet RCAC will discuss its new geographic resource information network.

This session covers lessons learned from the Cosco Busan incident focusing on bridge management, master/pilot relationships, changes in the medical standards, and impediments to access of lessons learned due to legal liabilities.

On November 6, 2007, the M/V Cosco Busan struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, causing an oil spill of great magnitude. Many issues presented themselves during the emergency response phase of this event. This session will present the facts of what happened during the event and after the incident.

This session will focus on an analysis currently sponsored by the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force to review the status of planning and preparedness for a spill on the US/Canadian borders of Alaska and British Columbia as well as the border of British Columbia and Washington State. Speakers will identify key challenges associated with coordinating an efficient emergency response under two national regulatory schemes in both highly populated and very remote areas.

Oil & toxic chemical spills are all too commonplace during often frantic and time-constrained shipboard and dockside operations and maintenance. Aside from the obvious safety and pollution concerns, these seemingly inconsequential discharges can also cause costly delays and result in severe fines and penalties. To avoid these consequences, there must be a concerted effort to identify and establish policies and work practices to eliminate these pollution-prone operations.

Responding to oil and hazardous substance incidents has become increasingly complex and sophisticated. Response plans must be developed and field operations implemented that address the unique nature of each incident. Issues including safety, the type of oil or chemical involved, environmental risks, and operational even political considerations can be keys in determining the overall success in responding to an incident. This session will present five distinctive case studies covering several of these issues in diverse and challenging oil and chemical incidents.

The session will describe the development of the shorezone mapping system currently utilized in Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. The session will also explain the application of the system for oil spill response and the efforts of NOAA Fisheries to further develop shorezone mapping in Alaska.

This session will discuss the challenges in meeting the demands that obsolete and/or derelict commercial vessels place on the marine environment, focusing on the latent pollution threat they pose, the fluctuating available funding sources to address the removal and disposal of these vessels, the diminishing options available for disposal, and the lack of a cohesive regulatory policy amongst federal, state and local agencies to create a proactive solution to the emerging problem.

This session contains five presentations of current and cutting-edge technologies focused on remote sensing, skimmer test protocol, manned submersibles, increase in oil skimmer recovery capacity and swift current boom deployment. These presentations will highlight the increasing complexity and sophistication of response operations.

Are you responsible for a vessel or facility response plan? Are you concerned about meeting government requirements for unannounced exercises or getting credit for your exercises? This session will examine these issues as well as building response capacity so you can maintain compliance with planning requirements.

This session will be a robust discussion amongst operators and regulatory agencies regarding vessel discharge best practices, information and experience exchange from shore side to marine side, concerns over indigenous marine species, and ballast water enforcement.

This session will discuss advancements in computers, software and communications technologies promises to put powerful tools into the hands of tomorrow's responders.

Success of a response is often measured by the effects of oil on wildlife. Adequate wildlife response planning is the key to minimizing impacts of oil on wildlife. This session explores recent wildlife response planning efforts in the Pacific Northwest.

Representatives from the Coast Guard, municipal & private firefighters, commercial responders, and vessel operators will discuss the implementation and impact of the new salvage and marine firefighting regulations. Among the topics will be: an overview and discussion of the regulations and published guidance by the Coast Guard; marine firefighting and the important role of municipal firefighters in the new response structure; the impact of the requirement to establish a rescue towing fleet; and what similar regulations might be on the horizon for non-tank vessel operators.

This session will look forward by addressing topics of the past and how they affect future response to an incident. Session will focus on subjects such as communication, regulations, training and actual response.