The Status of Oil Pollution and Oil Pollution Control in the West and Central Aftrican Region
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- UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME The status of oil pollution and oil pollution control in the West and Central African Region Prepared in co-operation uith --- --- INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MARITIME CONSULTATIVE ORGANIZATION PREFACE The Regional Seas Programme was initiated by UNEP in 1974. Since then the Governing Council of UNEP has repeatedly endorsed a regional approach to the control of marine pollution and the management of marine and coastal resources and has requested the development of regional action plans. The Regional Seas Programme at present includes ten regions and has over 120 coastal States participating in it. It is conceived as an action-oriented programme having concern not only for the consequences but also for the causes of environmental degradation and encompassing a comprehensive approach to combating environmental problems through the management of marine and coastal areas. Each regional action plan is formulated according to the needs of the region as perceived by the Governments concerned. It is designed to link assessment of the quality of the marine environment and the causes of its deterioration with activities for the management and development of the marine and coastal environment. The action plans promote the parallel development of regional legal agreements and of action-oriented programme activities. By Decision 88 (V). C of 2May 1977, the Governing Council of UNEP requested the Executive Director to initiate the development of an action plan for the West and Central African Region. After a preparatory process, which included a number of experts meetings, fact finding missions and in-depth studies on resources and environmental problems of the region, the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Co-operation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region (Abidjan 16-23 March 1961) adopted: - the Action Plan for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas of the West and Central African Kegion; - the Convention for the Co-operation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region; and - the Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating Pollution in Cases of Emergency. The Governments of the region also established a trust fund to support the activities called for in the Action Plan. UNEP was designated as the secretariat of the Action Plan and the Convention. This report was prepared as a contribution to the development of the Action Plan for the West and Central African Region. One of its main objectives is to provide the Governments of the Region with an overview of the current status of oil production, transportation, pollution, and pollution control along the coasts of West and Central Africa. The report is a synthesis of information and data available from governmental and industrial sources, in technical and popular publications, and from meetings and materials gathered during a fact-finding mission undertaken by four IMCO consultants in June-July 1980 to four primary oil-producing countries in West and Central Africa. Technical discussions and graphics have been augmented with general background information, as well as professional interpretations of the implications of oil production and pollution in West and Central Africa. Thus, the report provides an information base on which can be built a technological understanding and an organizational structure for dealing with critical oil-related problems. It is intended to serve as a source document for projects whose focus is the development of effective , programmes for assessing and dealing with oil pollution in the target area. Additionally, it is hoped the report will supply a useful input into assessments concerning the need to establish an oil spill control and response centre in the West and Central African Region. The four IMCO consultants who prepared the report are Mr. R.W. Hann Jr., Mr. G. Massart, Mr. L. Cabaniols, and Mr. H.N. Young. (ii) Table of Contents ACKNOWLEBGEMENTS .......................... (x) SECTION I. INTRODUCTION ........................ 1 Background ........................ 1 Oil in Africa ...................... 2 The Demand for Oil .................... 5 I1 . ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS IN OIL POLLUTION ......... 10 Geologic and Geographic Features ............. 10 Oil and the Environment ................. 11 Oceanographic and Meteorologic Features ......... 13 Currents ...................... 13 Sea Surface Winds .................. 15 Land and Sea Temperatures .............. 23 Local Conditions .................. 23 The Coasts of West and Central Africa .......... 29 I11 . OIL PRODUCTION AND REFINING IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA ... 31 Oil Production in West and Central Africa ........ 32 Oil Refining in West and Central Africa ......... 35 Oil Pollution from Production and Refining- ........ 50 Analysis of the Probability of a Major Spill Due to Offshore Production ................. 50 IV . OIL TRANSPORTATION IN WEST AND CBMTRAL AFRICA ....... 52 West and Central African Tanker Traffic ......... 55 VLCC Traffic in West and Central Africa ......... 55 Tanker Related Accidental Spills ............. 59 Operational Discharges .................. 66 VULNERABLE ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS IN WEST AMDCiaraBALAFRICA .................... 67 Biological Systems Vulnerable to Oil Impact ....... 67 Environmental Systems Vulnerable to Oil Impact ...... 69 Evaluation of Environmental Susceptibility to OilPollution .................... 77 (iii) Table of Contents (~ont'd.) VI . THE STATUS OF OIL POLLUTION CONTROL IN THE WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN REGION ................... 92 Development of Oil Pollution Control Legislation intheRegion .......o...............93 Evaluation of Oil Pollution Control Status in West and Central African Nations ............. 97 Overview ..........................114 Oil-Producing Countries ..................114 Non-Petroleum Producers ..................114 Emerging Oil-Producing Nations ...............115 Resources Available for Response ..............115 International Conventions .................115 Shift in Oil Clean-up Responsibility from the Shipowners and Cargo Owners to Governments .............118 Civil Liability ......................120 Fundconvention .....................-122 Other Resources ......................122 Consultants and Academic Organizations ...........124 Resources in West and Central Africa ............125 VII . THE BACKGROUND SITUATION FOR FUTURE PLANS. OPTIONAL PATHWAYS FOR THE FOTDKE. AM) RECOMMENDATIONS ........133 Oil Pollution Control Options ...............134 Organizational Structure: Within a Country ........134 Organizational Structure: Regional ............ 135 Financing Pollution Response ................135 reve en ti on plan cycle ...................136 Contingency Planning Cycle .................136 Problem Solution Analyses .................143 Regional Programmes and Centres ..............160 Summarysuggestions ....................162 Table of Contents (conttd.) APPENDIX 1 . OIL PRODUCTION PROFILES FOR VEST AND CENTRAL AiKICAN NATIONS .................... 165 Angola ...... Benin ...... Cameroon ..... Congo me.... Equatorial Guinea Gabon ...... Gambia ...... Ghana ...... Guinea ...... Guinea-Bissau . Ivory Coast ... Liberia Om..m Nigeria ..... Senegal ..... Sierra Leone ... Togo . *. Zaire ..Om.m CONVERSION CHAFiTS ....................... 178 NOTES ................................. 182 SOURCESmm~~m~~~~m~~~~~~~mm.~~e~~m~~~~**184 List of Tables SECTION I 1. Crude Oil Reserves ofthe World ................. 4 2 . Worldwide Petroleum Production and Demand for 1978 ....... 6 SECTION I1 1. Wind Scales and Sea Descriptions ................ 20 SECTION I11 1. World Crude Production .O...................33 2 . Percentage of World Crude Oil Production by Countries ...... 34 3 . World Crude Production .Africa ................. 36 4. West and Central African Oilfields in Operation ......... 37 5. Refining Capacity in Five West and Central African Nations ... 46 6. World Refining Capacity as of December 31 (1978) ........ 47 7. Refining Survey of Nine West and Central African Nations .... 49 8. Projected Spill Rate ...................... 51 SECTION IV 1. World Tank Ship Fleet by Flag of Registry (as of December 31. 1977) ...................... 56 2 . Tankerports .......................... 58 3 . Channel Depths for Tanker Ports .........O.......58 4. Oil Spill Incidents in West and Central Africa. 1975-1980 .... 60 5. Locations and Causes of Worldwide Tanker Casualty Spills. 1969-1972 .................. 62 6. Worldwide Tanker Casualty Spills Vs . Vessel Size. 1969-1972 ... 63 7. Historical Parameters for Predicting Tanker Casualty Spills Within 50 Miles of Land ................ 64 8. Potential Tanker-Related Spills Within 50 Miles of Land ..... 65 SECTION V 1. Biological Systems Ranked in Order of Decreasing Value ..... 79 2 . Summary of Coastal Shoreline Systems in Order of Increasing Vulnerability to Oil Spill Damage ......... 80 3 . Spilled Oil Removability Index ................. 81 4. Commercial Fishing Importance Rated According to Decreasing Value ....................... 82 5. Recreational Importance Rated According to Decreasing Value ... 82 6. Coastal Morphology of West and Central African Nations ..... 83 7. Zones of High Risk to Oil Spills and Likely Points of Impact . 86 SECTION VI 1. Provisions of the 1954 and 1973 Conventions ...........117 2 . Provisions of Civil Liability Conventions and TOVALOP ......119 3. Provisions