Expansion of Oil Spill Contingency Plan

NOWPAP member states – China, Japan, Korea and Russia – adopted the Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan (RCP) and signed the MOU for this Plan in 2005. According to the decision of the 10th NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting (held in Toyama, Japan, in November 2005), the geographical coverage of the RCP has been expanded in order to cover the areas of production and transportation of oil and gas along the Sakhalin Island. From 1 July 2006, when this expansion entered into force, the RCP geographical coverage is from 33 to 55 degree North and from 121 to 145 degree East. In order to check the preparedness of NOWPAP member states to accidental oil spills, the First NOWPAP Oil Spill Exercise was organized on 11-12 May 2006 in Aniva Bay (Sakhalin Island, Russia). Several specialized ships and helicopters with oil containment and recovery equipment from Russia and Japan participated in the exercise. China sent several officials to observe the event.  The exercise proceeded well at the beginning as planned but later turned to be a real rescue operation as a Russian helicopter crashed accidentally into the sea.  In spite of that tragic accident, the exercise demonstrated high level of preparedness of NOWPAP member states in case of emergency.