A focus on marine emergency response

Seminar brings stakeholders together to discuss challenges and solutions

SOUTH AFRICA: Presenting a full programme, the AMSOL Group hosted stakeholders for a Marine Emergency Response and Preparedness seminar last week to help focus attention on the resources and skills required in the event of maritime incidents along the country’s coastline.

With input from the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), the Department of Transport (DoT), Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), Smit Salvage and 2OPIC, the seminar brought together key stakeholders responsible for maritime safety within South African waters and ports.

Providing an introduction to the topic, Siphokazi Mbaba, Marine Operations Manager at AMSOL, highlighted the importance of relationships as she acknowledged the limited access to available esources such as tugs and helicopters.

“It is important to build relationships with other tug owners,” she said. The need to have a clear understanding of the resources in the region became clear during the two-day programme as speakers noted the need to call on available assets when responding to incidents.

Noting the type of incidents that salvors respond to, Mbaba highlighted the risks associated with shipping – stressing that events can occur at any point in a ship’s journey from loading in one port to offloading in another. “There are many aspects that need to be considered,” she said while adding that the key to a successful salvage was in immediate response.

For Mbaba, who uses vessel traffic services to monitor ships along the coast in real time – it is about always maintaining this maritime domain awareness. Checking in on this information is her first task for the day and vital to her ability to respond effectively should there be a need.

Considering the high number of incidents that AMSOL has responded to over the last 18 months and their ability to engage in strategic partnerships, this awareness has become a valuable resource in providing assistance to vessel traffic in the area.

Listing the parties involved in the response to an incident, Jawahir Nandha, Commercial Manager at AMSOL, followed on from Mbaba’s presentation with an overview of how to manage the key stakeholders which he described as a “floating orchestra of professionals”.

“Remember marine emergencies are unpredictable and can take place at any time with various variables requiring expert response,” he said as he described the specific functions of key stakeholders, noting the importance of a structure such as the Incident Management Organisation (IMorg) in South Africa.

Providing context for the IMorg, Captain Ravi Naicker of SAMSA, noted that, in the absence of finalising the Oil Pollution Response and Cooperation (OPRC) Bill, the structure should be considered an interim one. The bill aims to incorporate provisions of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation into domestic law.

Despite this, however, the IMorg has been actively laying the groundwork to ensure that the country has a working response to marine incidents and has published a handbook for stakeholders as well as convened several workshops as well as exercises to test the mettle of the structure.

Challenges remain

Although the organisation has been active in engaging with both local and regional organisations and participating in workshops, Naicker did acknowledge some challenges that require attention including the lack of aerial support for search and rescue operations as well as access to accredited laboratories for oil testing and technology for ocean modelling.

Addressing the seminar, Stella Matlala, Deputy Director in the DoT, also touched on some of these difficulties. Admitting the need for a second standby tug, she confirmed that requests to secure an addition tug for the coastline had not been approved by National Treasury due to budgetary constraints.

“One tug is not enough.”

“One tug is not enough,” she said while also acknowledging that insufficient resources as well as delays in finalising new legislation remain ongoing challenges. According to Matlala, consideration is underway on how to ensure additional resources are available for maritime incident response.

Participants in the seminar weighed in on possible solutions to cover the gaps highlighted by the DoT presentation. These included the procurement of drones for surveillance and the adoption of available smart technology as well as the need for collaborative understanding of how to engage available existing resources.

Trends and technology

Input on the types of incidents reported both locally and internationally provided some insight into notable trends that need to be addressed. The increase in cargo that includes lithium-ion batteries including electric vehicles as well as smaller items such as headphones has become a notable risk.

These batteries have been shown to be a fire risk, causing blazes that are difficult to extinguish and often hard to access on board a container vessel. The future adoption of alternative fuels on board vessels are also likely to create fire risks that will require additional training of seafarers.

Increased traffic around the South African coast by vessels that do not usually encounter the type of severe weather conditions associated with region has also highlighted some concerns. Presenters noted the significant number of containers that were lost from ships last year.

Trends such as increased traffic as well as the continued increase in the size of vessels create challenges for salvors, but the future of semi-autonomous as well as fully autonomous vessels will also come with specific difficulties.

With a focus on saving as well as preserving the lives of both the seafarers on board the stricken vessel as well as the salvage crew – the adoption of technology potentially offers an opportunity to make life at sea safer.

Wrapping up the seminar on day two, Richard Robertson of Smit Salvage presented a menu of interventions and technological developments that should be considered in order to provide a salvage response that meets the needs of a constantly changing shipping environment.

Robertson suggested that some simple interventions at the design phase of autonomous vessels, for example, can ensure that these ships are “salvage ready”.

“The goal should be that providing salvage services to an autonomous ship is no more difficult than for a traditional vessel,” he said. In addition, more research into firefighting agents could assist in ensuring that efforts to extinguish on board fires are more effective.

Training also remains a critical aspect. Seafarers and responders need to understand how to handle the fuels of the future and hazardous cargos. Robertson emphasised the need to train for the changing landscape and highlighted a list of core skills required in the sector.

“The salvor of tomorrow must be equal parts engineer, technologist and crisis negotiator – because the sea never gives second chances,” he concluded.

Noting the extent of the country’s maritime domain as well as the increase in ships’ traffic along the coastline due to the ongoing instability in the Red Sea, Clare Gomes, Corporate Affairs Executive at AMSOL, ended the programme with a call to action for delegates.

She encouraged guests to consider opportunities to improve skills and knowledge as well as to invest in promoting robust networks.

“Who do you need to follow up with to make sure that when the next incident happens, that we're able to work with the team in a way that enhances problem solving, minimises impact on life, and protects our marine environment?” she asked.

A more detailed overview of the seminar and resulting discussions will be included in our print publication on maritime safety due out later this year.