This week Bermuda will host a three-day course about shoreline clean-up in the event of an oil spill.

"The focus of this course will be how to address the cleanup of different types of fuel and oils once they have bypassed protection booms and have reached various coastline areas," explained the Minister of Home Affairs the Hon. Walter Roban JP MP. "This includes mangroves, exposed corals and seagrass in addition to sandy beaches and a range of man-made structures including marinas."

The course is being led by the President of Owens Coastal Consulting Ltd Dr. Edward Owens who is an internationally-recognized expert on oil spill shoreline response. He has provided technical support on shoreline oil spill response operations since 1970 and on 39 major spills including the T/V Exxon Valdez spill and the more recent Deepwater Horizon Well blowout. 

During this week's course, Dr. Owens will train 25 personnel in the processes of shoreline clean-up and assessment techniques, which includes 17 personnel from the Government of Bermuda and an additional eight personnel from UK Overseas-Territories.  

The UK, including Bermuda and other Overseas Territories, are currently preparing for a mandatory audit by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) later in 2020 that will assess how well the various IMO legislative instruments that address ships’ safety and pollution from ships are being followed. The Implementation of IMO Instruments is known is the ‘Triple I’ audit.

To address the gaps in oil spill response training, the Department of Environment & Natural Resources, with the Bermuda Shipping & Maritime Authority, have set up a range of oil spill response courses such as this one that are being wholly funded by the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA).