Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment First Strike Plan for the Upper D’Entrecasteaux Channel, NW Bay, Mid D’Entrecasteaux Channel and lower Huon River EPA Coastal Segments 92, 96 & 97 EPA First Strike Response Plan Segments 92, 96 & 97 Page 2 of 32 CONTENTS i. Authorisation ……………………………………………………………...4 ii. Document control ………………………………………………………...4 iii. Distribution ………………………………………………………………..4 iv. Revision/Amendments …………………………………………………..5 1. Context 1.1 Purpose ……………………………………………………………6 1.2 Objectives …………………………………………………………6 1.3 Authority & Responsibility ……………………………………….6 1.4 Plan Activation ……………………………………………………6 2. Plan Scope 2.1 Area of operations of the Plan ………………………………….6 2.2 Who responds? …………………………………………………..6 3. Preparedness 3.1 Incident Control structure …………………………………….….7 3.2 Risk Identification 3.2.1 Location of Sensitive Resources ………………….….…7 3.2.2 Potential Spill Sources ……………………………….…..7 3.3 Probable fate of spilled oil ……………………………………..…9 3.3.1 Factors affecting…………………………………………...9 3.3.2 Spilled products……………………………………..……..9 4. Spill Response Strategies ………………………………………………10 4.1 Response Strategies……………………………………………..10 4.2 Communications …………………………………………………11 Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & the Environment EPA First Strike Response Plan Segments 92, 96 & 97 Page 3 of 32 5. Response Operations ………………………………………………….….11 5.1 Initial Response Priorities……….. ………………………..….…..11 5.2 Determining Protection Priorities...………………………….……11 5.3 Response Implementation…………………………………….…..13 5.3.1 Source Booming ……………………………………….…..14 5.3.2 Exclusion & Deflection Booming …….…………………...15 5.3.3 Product Removal ……………………………………...…...16 5.3.4 Vessel prop wash flushing………………………………...17 5.3.5 Concurrent Operations …………………………………....17 5.4 Equipment available …………………………………………….…17 5.5 Support ……………………………………...……………………...17 6. Post - First Strike requirements 6.1 Response Escalation – Handover ………………………………18 6.2 Termination …………………………………………..…………....18 6.3 Incident Review …………………………………………………...18 APPENDICES A. Map 1 of Coastal Segments - Response Area…. …………………….19 Map 2,3,4 of Sensitive Resources per Segment..……………………..20 B. Port Waters… ……………………………………………………………..23 C. First Strike Response Options.…………………………………………..24 D. Equipment lists…………………………………………………………….31 E. Contacts list……………………………………………………………......32 TABLES 1….page 8 5….page 15 9…..page 31 2….page 12 6….page 25 10…page 31 3….page 12 7….page 27 11…page 32 4….page 13 8….page 29 Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & the Environment EPA First Strike Response Plan Segments 92, 96 & 97 Page 4 of 32 i. Authorisation This plan has been endorsed by the State Marine Pollution Committee as per the committee functions outlined in section 35(5)b of the Pollution of Waters by Oil and Noxious Substances Act 1987. ii. Document control A printed version of this document is an Uncontrolled document and may not be an up to date version. This document is available in electronic format on the EPA website http://epa.tas.gov.au/ iii. Distribution No. Issued to Organisation Position Date Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & the Environment EPA First Strike Response Plan Segments 92, 96 & 97 Page 5 of 32 iv. Revisions/Amendments The following revisions/amendments have been applied to this Plan. No. Detail Date 1 Approved by State Marine Pollution Committee (SMPC) 21NOV17 Proposals to amend or revise this plan should be forwarded to – Executive Officer State Marine Pollution Committee DPIPWE GPO Box 1751 Hobart TAS 7001 Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & the Environment EPA First Strike Response Plan Segments 92, 96 & 97 Page 6 of 32 1. Context 1.1 Purpose This Plan is an appendix to the Tasmanian Marine Oil Spill Contingency Plan (TASPLAN). The Plan is to be utilised when a marine oil spill occurs in waters within the defined area of this Plan, or from a spill in adjacent waters, where an impact may occur in this Plan’s defined area. A marine oil spill is defined, for the purposes of this Plan, as an actual spill, or the potential spill, of oil or derivatives. 1.2 Objectives The aim of this Plan is to provide the Responders to an oil spill incident, with information that will enable them to respond using the most appropriate response option, to the areas of highest sensitivity and risk. This Plan is NOT designed to provide exclusive or overly prescriptive response actions. The suggested response options are based upon scenarios that are deemed more common in the response area, and to the potential types of spilled product, generally encountered in these areas. 1.3 Authority and Responsibility The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is the designated Jurisdictional Authority. The EPA and Tasports are designated Control agencies. 1.4 Plan Activation This Plan is a First Strike plan, and is to be used as the initial response plan, in the event of a spill, in or potentially effecting, the defined area of operation. A Deed of Agreement exists between the Crown and Tasports, which directs Tasports to provide first strike response capability, in all Port Waters as defined in Appendix B. 2. Plan Scope 2.1 Area of Operation The area that this Plan applies to is indicated at map 1 at Appendix A. 2.2 Who responds? The initial response to a marine oil spill within the waters designated within this plan is as follows: Designated port waters – Tasports will respond to all vessel spills except where a recreational vessel is concerned. Where doubt exists whether a vessel is recreational or not, then a direction from the State Marine Pollution Controller will direct a response Agency. All other State waters (generally out to 3nm) – EPA. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & the Environment EPA First Strike Response Plan Segments 92, 96 & 97 Page 7 of 32 3. Preparedness 3.1 Incident Control structure The initial control of a response to a marine oil spill is the responsibility of a designated Incident Controller. The Incident Controller is appointed by the Control Agency (combat agency). In Tasmania the Control Agency is TasPorts within Port limits and for other areas at the request of the Jurisdictional Authority. The EPA is the designated Jurisdictional Authority and in certain conditions can act as the Control Agency. In the event of an escalation beyond First Strike, the Response Escalation requirements will come into effect (see Section 6.1). 3.2 Risk Identification 3.2.1 Location of Sensitive Resources The attached map 2, 3 and 4 at Appendix A indicates the location of the sensitive resources and what the risk rating to that resource is. 3.2.2 Potential Spill Sources The locations with the potential highest risk of spills are listed below in table 1. The Margate/Electrona marina precinct has several wharves, slipways and marinas where construction and repair work is undertaken on vessels, and this provides a potential for spills of products from tanks or vessel spaces under repair. Re-fuelling operations are also undertaken in this area, particularly on fishing vessels at the marina and seafood wharf. The Bruny Island ferry that runs between Kettering and Barnes Bay carries substantial amounts of diesel fuel. There is a likelihood of a potential diesel spill during bunkering operations. There is a significant marina facility at Oyster Cove near Kettering which berths large numbers of recreational and commercial vessels. There are several slipways where the potential for spills to occur from works is elevated, and refuelling operations of moored vessels will be a regularly undertaking, with larger volumes bunkered on commercial fishing vessels. Both Huon Aquaculture and Tassal have numerous vessels operating and moored in this Huon River & D’Entrecasteaux Channel regions, and thus there is the potential of smaller spills in open water, of diesel, ULP and hydraulic oil, during bunkering or refuelling operations. The Huon Aquaculture berth, at the Gunpowder wharf at Tinderbox, refuels small vessels and equipment at the wharf. The Huon Aquaculture base at Surveyors Bay has bunded fuel tanks ashore and they refuel many smaller vessels with ULP and diesel on a daily basis. Huon Aquaculture has larger vessels that refuel on the water and at the Kettering marina. They also have a large fish-farm vessel(s) operating in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Huon River and Storm Bay areas, which bunkers at the Port Huon wharf. Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water & the Environment EPA First Strike Response Plan Segments 92, 96 & 97 Page 8 of 32 Tassal operate vessel re-fuelling operations at Electrona wharf, Killala Bay wharf, (south of Surges Bay), and at Dover at the Meads Bay facility. They will all potentially produce smaller spills of ULP or Diesel from re-fuelling operations on smaller vessels. With moored vessels, there is the potential for smaller spills through bilge discharges, particularly with significant rain events. Another source of spills is from stormwater drains with road run-off. An accident between two or more vessels, and single vessel accidents where a collision or grounding occurs, has the potential to breach fuel/oil tanks, and create a spill. Volumes would normally be of a smaller scale, but the larger the vessel, the larger the potential spill volume. The products would likely be ULP or Diesel. Table 1 Identified potential spill sources Ref Risk Product Likely # volumes(l) 1 Gunpowder wharf, Tinderbox (Huon Diesel/ULP 1-100 Aquaculture) 2 Margate Slipway and Seafood marina Diesel/ULP 1-500 3 Margate