Chapter 8—ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION(6) The corrective action taken to stop, con-tain, and prevent recurrence by the reporting shipor activity, if any;(7) The assessment of the help required (con-tainment equipment and/or clean up equipment).The OSC must also (1) designate an on-scenecommander (OSCDR), (2) notify the personnelconcerned with cleaning up the pollutant, and (3)take charge at the scene until the arrival of theOSCDR.On-Scene CommanderThe OSCDR reports directly to the OSC andassumes the responsibility for directing the man-power and equipment at the scene of the pollu-tion, and utilizes all available resources toquickly remove the pollutant and to restore theenvironmental quality. Upon notification of anavy spill in local waters, the OSCDR takes im-mediate action to contain or isolate the spill byutilizing duty section personnel or personnelassigned to a spill recovery team and theirequipment.The OSCDR’s responsibility is to determinethe source of the spill, contain it, commencecleanup operations, and eliminate it.If the navy spill occurs after working hoursthe OSCDR executes the recall bill, if necessary.SPILL PHASESWhen oil is spilled, it triggers a series of ac-tions that are common to all spills and which havebeen categorized into the following operationalphases.1. Discovery and notification.2. Evaluation and initiation of action.3. Containment and countermeasures.4. Recovery, mitigation, and disposal.5. Cleaning and repositioning equipment.6. Documentation and cost recovery.Spill phases do not necessarily follow in sequence,but may and generally do, overlap. Figure 8-1shows this overlap and summarizes some of theactions in each phase of an oil spill. Spill controloperations can last anywhere from a few hoursto several weeks and individual spills do not re-quire the same degree of implementation for allthe operational phases.Phase I—Discovery and NotificationDiscovery of an oil spill usually results fromone or more of the following: (1) casual observa-tion by personnel or the public, (2) result ofmonitoring and surveillance program, or (3)report made by the spiller. Whatever the modeof discovery, all Navy related spills must bereported.Phase II—Evaluation AndInitiation of ActionUpon notification and inspection of the spill,the Navy OSCDR must evaluate the following:(1) magnitude and severity of the spill, (2) poten-tial impacts of the spill including hazard to lifeor property, (3) available response time, and (4)capability of local resources to handle the spill.Based upon this evaluation, the OSCDR shouldinitiate local containment action and notify theNavy OSC. The OSC may either alert RegionalResponse Teams (RRT) or request assistance forspills which are beyond the local Navy responseunit capability. The OSC will also evaluate theeffectiveness of measures applied to the spill andmaintain a detailed log of spill related activities.Spill samples should be taken as soon as possibleafter the spill and analyzed in accord with accept-able procedure. Data should be recorded forpossible future use.Phase III—Containment AndCountermeasuresContainment and countermeasures arepositive actions taken to limit the continuedspread and migration of the spill and to stop theflow at the source. These steps are the first cor-rective actions to be taken, and should be initiatedas soon as possible after a spill is discovered.COUNTERMEASURES.—Typical counter-measures include:1. The isolation and evacuation of the spillarea to protect life or health.2. The “Shut off” activities at the source ofthe spill. These may range from simple valverealinement to extensive salvage operations. Rup-tured tanks, for example, may be sealed withchemicals which foam in place and form reliableseals.8-3
Integrated Publishing, Inc. - A (SDVOSB) Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business