ISMI holds training on oil spill response at sea and shoreline

Since the installation of the first oil platforms in the 1960s, the Gulf of Guinea has become an important oil production area attracting foreign investment and accounting for 5% of world oil production. Moreover, the Gulf of Guinea is also one of the busiest maritime crossroads in the world.

While these activities constitute undeniable economic resources that contribute to the development of the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea, they also entail risks for the environment. Indeed, sea and coastal pollution, whether accidental or due to illegal dumping, constitutes a real threat for coastal countries.

The mission of the Interregional Maritime Safety Institute (ISMI) of the Regional Academy of Marine Sciences and Technology (ARSTM) is to promote through training a safe, secure, clean and sustainable maritime space in the Gulf of Guinea. This is why it organizes a training course on oil spill response at sea and on the shore line.

This training brings together 25 participants from 13 countries of the Gulf of Guinea. It has the particularity of being a mixed training: the theoretical part was conducted remotely online last month and the practical part will take place from 13 to 15 April 2021. The training is delivered by trainers from the French Center for Documentation, Research and Experimentation (CEDRE) and is certified as complying with IMO level 2 antipollution training standards.

A practical exercise on the Autonomous Port of Abidjan (PAA) with the implementation of a clean-up worksite, containment means and demonstration of absorbents will close the training. To set up this exercise, ISMI benefited from the contributions of the Ivorian Antipollution Center (CIAPOL), the Commander and firefighters of the PAA, the Ivorian Refining Company (SIR) and the Canadian National Resources (CNR) company.

At the end of the training, the audience will have a concrete and practical knowledge of intervention strategies and techniques and equipment to fight against accidental oil pollution in coastal areas.

The training programme is held at the Regional Academy of Sciences and Techniques of the Sea (ARSTM - Yopougon, Niangon) on Tuesday, April 13, 2021.