NOWPAP Oil Spill Contingency Plan Activated

In response to the worst oil spill disaster in the Republic Korea occurred in the morning of 7 December 2007, the NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan has been activated following a request of the Korean government.  National On-Scene Coordinators and National Operational Contract Points were designated in each NOWPAP country as the first step for communication. NOWPAP Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Response Regional Activity Centre (MERRAC) has requested assistance from other NOWPAP member states in providing sorbents, coastal cleanup equipment, aircrafts and helicopters for spraying dispersants.  Among the emergency supplies available in all NOWPAP members (China, Japan and Russia), Korean government, taking into account logistical issues, accepted kind offers from China and Japan.  More than 50 tons of sorbents were already shipped from China and 10 tons arrived from Japan by air along with 7 experts.   Staff members of MERRAC and NOWPAP Regional Coordinating Unit help coordinate assistance from NOWPAP member states and the Joint UNEP/OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) Environment Unit and the European Commission Monitoring Information Center which has dispatched a team of experts to asses the situation and provide help for the cleanup.  A team of 4 U.S. Coast Guard experts and marine ecology experts from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (AUB), Spain also arrived in Taean to measure the extent of the damage. Meanwhile EARL, a Singapore based oil spill Response Company, sent a C-130 airplane and 42 units of high pressure cleaning equipment. The Korean Government arranged an expert meeting on 18 December to discuss the ecosystem restoration measures in areas damaged by oil spill incident.  Experts from UN/EC, US Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard and NOWPAP MERRAC participated in the meeting along with Korean authorities.  The Korean Government estimated that more than 70% of spilled oil has been collected so far.