REVIEW OF CHEMICAL SPILLS AT SEA AND LESSONS LEARNT a technical appendix to the INTERSPILL 2009 Conference White Paper “Are HNS spills more dangerous than oil Spills?” compiled by Cedre (1) from Bonn Agreement and Helcom reports and other miscellaneous sources 1 Auhors: Emina Mamaca, Michel Girin, Stéphane le Floch, Rawad el Zir. Contact :
[email protected] FOREWORD This appendix to the White Paper cited above was prepared with a view to providing additional background information on existing international experience on the response to HNS spills and the related response tools and techniques. It successively delivers: In Chapter I, a summary of available global information on HNS incidents, with a table of the 47 recorded incidents and their primary causes. In Chapter 2, a review of all 47 incidents, including the risks incurred and the response measures undertaken, followed by a summary of the identified risks to human health and the environment. In Chapter 3, several short case studies of the 24 best‐documented incidents, identified by type of pollutant, with the main lessons learned with regard to the type of pollutant concerned. In Chapter 4, the general lessons learnt with regard to the dangers, consequences and response tips. Cover photo : The chemical tanker Ece sinking in the English Channel in 2000, with a cargo of styrene, methyl‐ethyl‐ketone and phosphoric acid 1. INFORMATION ON INCIDENTS 1.1. Background During the last 30 years, there have been considerable developments in the maritime transport of chemical products, both in bulk and in packaged form. Incidents have followed. Some were well documented, while most remained poorly documented or basically ignored.