Moving the dial through collaboration

Abstract

For many years there have been lots of Oil Spill Response Organizations (OSROs) worldwide. Their organization, concept of operations and skills have to a large extend been tailored to their specific areas of operations, members demand and the OSROs own practice and experience. Collaboration between OSROs has been somewhat limited. During the last decade, the post-Macondo follow up has showed – and strengthened – the necessity of tiered preparedness, hence the importance of collaboration between different oil spill response organizations has raised to another level. One arena which has evolved tremendously during the last decade, has been the Global Response Network – GRN. The dial can surely be said to have moved considerably towards closer collaboration. The Global Response Network (GRN) exists to share information, improve spill response performance and provide centers of expertise in spill preparedness, response and recovery techniques. It is a forum for oil spill response organizations to improve their individual performance and effectiveness by: fostering strong collaborative relationships between Members;establishing functional teams to exchange operating information, response techniques and share good practice; andassisting oil companies and other stakeholders to enhance industry standards for spill response. The GRN will operate under an Executive Committee (EC) framework which purpose is to determine the broad strategic direction of the GRN. The EC is also reviewing and assessing the work of the functional teams operating under the EC, known as the Operational Teams (OTs). During the last decade, the OTs have developed into a global, functional group of experts working across nations and boundaries. The OT's represents the operational expertise within the OSROs and have become the bodies to operationalize and implement the Good Practice Guidelines developed through IPIECA post-Macondo. Having this body – or structure – of experts to support the industry (and IPIECA) has proven important. This presentation will describe how the last decade has made improvements in collaboration between OSROs and different agencies – both regulators, companies, agencies, the public and responder – to make oil spill response more efficient, standardized and created a better understanding of the importance of having a good, well-functioned oil spill response.