NZ Lacks Expertise To Cope With Oil Spill - Expert

New Zealand does not have the resources or the expertise to deal with an oil leak even half the size of the one affecting the coast of Louisiana.

So far around 22,000 tonnes of crude oil have spilled into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Experts say New Zealand would only be equipped to deal with a spill about 1/6th the size.

Scoop screenshot of the leaking BP oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

New Zealand has the capability to deal with small-scale oil spills of up to 3,5000 tonnes which would elicit what is called a Tier 3 response. Anything over this would call for international support, which could take days to arrive.

Ian Niblock is one of only five people in New Zealand who can handle a national scale Tier 3 emergency.

Oil spills are a particular risk in Northland because the country’s only oil refinery is at Marsden Point on the east coast near Whangarei.

Northland is geared up to deal with only 50 tonnes of oil at most yet “many tankers visiting Marsden Point carry 110,000 tonnes of oil,” says Niblock.

Approximately 72 ships carrying this amount travel to Marsden Point Oil Refinery each year.

“A major shipping disaster would quickly become an international scale emergency,” says Niblock.

Maritime New Zealand Senior media advisor Sophie Hazelhurst says Maritime New Zealand deals with tier three-scale spills, and has the planning, equipment and training in place for approximately 3,500 tonnes worth of oil.

A spill exceeding this amount would require overseas help. Hazelhurst could not say at what point this help would be called upon.

“We can only judge case by case,” she says. “The scale of the response will depend on the type of oil spilt, where it was spilt and a whole range of other conditions, such as sea state, weather conditions, and seasonal conditions.”

Niblock says they would call on countries such as Australia, Singapore and the UK, if New Zealand could not control the spill itself. He could not comment on how long it would take to get help, but says they have trained staff to deal with the problems until support arrives.

“Each region has a number of trained staff that can be called on to help in the clean up process.”

If there were a spill, bitumen and crude oils would take months to dissipate naturally, but would probably sink out of sight if not cleaned up.

According to the marine manager of the New Zealand Refinery Company, Mike Swords, the Northland Regional Council has a Tier 2 plan to combat smaller-scaled spills.

Swords says spills that occur in Northland harbours are mostly small, involving petrol, or diesel, and happen during refuelling.

Hazelhurst and Swords do however both agree that international shipping is a major factor for Northland, with the potential for a large oil spill.

“There is always a risk of a large-scale spill occurring,” says Hazelhurst. “ But we are as prepared as we can be.”

Selena Hawkins is a journalism student in her final year at AUT University.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In December 1973 an oil tanker owned by the late Aristotle Onassis's shipping interests spilled crude oil into New Zealand's Whangarei Harbour while docked at Marsden Point Oil Refinery. The oil slick was carried on the tide, washing ashore from Reotahi Beach and into the tidal areas of Parua Bay. Marine and foreshore ecologies were affected, in particular shellfish beds, rock oysters, and seabirds died. The oil spill was then considered a local environmental disaster. The thick sticky crude oil took some years to disappear from the rocky coastline, despite efforts by the territorial local authority and volunteers to clean up the foreshore with detergent.

See also:
• 3News: Govt conscious of deep sea drilling dangers - PM John Key

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