WELCOME TO SPILL ALERT WELCOME Welcome to this spring issue of Spill Alert.
Lee Barber, Chair UK and Ireland Spill Association
I do not think anyone would have expected the spill industry to be as busy as it is now; everyone I speak to in the industry is rushed off their feet. The team at Oil Spill Response Ltd are in a similar position and are currently deployed all over the world. In fact, a few weeks ago we could make the claim that our staff were working in all seven continents of the world, which doesn’t happen often. It can sometimes be a challenge managing multiple incidents, but the whole team have done a great job resourcing events such as Sri Lanka (MV X‐ Press Pearl), Peru (two events), the UK Irish Sea, and Thailand. The nature of these events certainly highlights how the workload in spill response ebbs and flows. Also, how staff must be trained to be flexible and to be capable of working in all types of environments. We work in a fascinating industry which if focused on meeting the energy needs of today, whilst funding the energy demands of tomorrow and meet carbon neutral targets. Climate change, in particular unpredictable and extreme weather, are placing unprecedented pressure on existing facilities that are hard to address without significant investment at a time when the move to net zero means that these facilities may not be in use beyond 2050. It is going to be a challenge in which rapid response is vital.
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This cannot be safely done without well trained and motivated people on whom the reputation of the response industry relies. Efforts led by UK and Ireland Spill’s members
on the new Employment Opportunities Working Group is important in this area. The group is in the process of consulting with members to develop career pathways for all inland and marine responders but also to include consultants who work to support the industry. The pathways should support training the individual so that as their training and competence builds, they move along an independently assessed career pathway culminating in chartered status for those with experience and competence at the top of our profession. Please participate with your ideas and suggestions in the work of this group. As COVID Restrictions are encouraging a move to a new normal, we can begin to sense the economy is opening up and face to face events are starting again. Consequently, the Inland conference will be held at UKIFDA Expo in Liverpool on 28 April, the agenda is in this issue. Our marine members are also looking forward to Interspill 2022, it will be held 21-23 June in Amsterdam and our Association is playing a full role in the event’s success. We hope the COVID situation continues to improve so that we may hold an exciting conference and awards dinner this autumn. In the meantime I wish you all well and trust that you are busy, filling your vacancies and staying safe!
Best Wishes Lee
