Namibia has hosted a series of events addressing oil spill preparedness and response, with two back to back workshops in Swakopmund (22-24 May and 28-31 May) developed with a view to improve the national preparedness and response system in the country.
A first workshop was held to provide participants with an overview of the essential skills needed to prepare for and respond to oil spills at an operational level including contingency planning and risk assessment.
The second event focused on shoreline response and clean-up management plan during an oil spill incident. For example, deciding on what strategy to adopt depending on the type of oil spilled, the type of shoreline and the availability of equipment. In addition to table-top exercises, participants took part in a real life simulation of beach clean-up operations.
The workshop was organized under the auspices of the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) – a joint IMO-IPIECA project. The event brought together representatives from different ministries, public agencies and the private sector involved with the country's national preparation and response system.
IMO's Julien Favier of the GI WACAF project and a team of consultants facilitated the event, which was hosted by the Namibia Directorate of Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Works and Transport.