[ 19 MARCH, 2009 ]

LSES PROVIDES INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO AUSTRALIAN OIL SPILL

In the early hours of March 11th 2009, a general cargo vessel Pacific Adventurer battling a category 4 cyclone lost 31 deck stowed containers. At the time of this incident the vessel was positioned in the territorial waters off Brisbane, Australia. The damage inflicted by the falling containers, penetrated 2 forward wing tanks and black fuel oil was lost to sea. The gale force winds drove the oil rapidly to the shorelines. Maritime Safety Authority Queensland took charge of the incident. With State elections pending the response quickly escalated to State Disaster level.

LSES was mobilized by the shipping company within hours of the incident. The Duty Manager James Thornborough assisted with the initial potential assessment and then boarded the first available flight from Dubai to Brisbane. LSES called in Oman based response partner Lamor Clean Globe to provide back-up support service. On arrival into Brisbane, James Thornborough was rapidly deployed to the Incident Control Centre acting as technical liaison for the shipper. James quickly established himself as a valued consultant to the Incident Management Team. The expert assessment of LSES defined the need for specialized beach cleaning equipment useful for Stage 2 (stranded) and Stage 3 (final polishing) oiling. This recommendation was endorsed by the casualty owner and gratefully accepted by the State Incident Commander. The air freight of the equipment was immediately executed.

The LSES equipment arrived just as the detailed beach assessments were complete. 3 large tractor tow beach cleaners (Lamor Sand Scrapers LS 2000 units), and 3 smaller hand driven beach cleaners (Lamor Beach Tech Sweepy units) were deployed immediately to the highest priority sites. 200 specialized hand held beach cleaners (Lamor Beach Brooms) were placed on stand-by for use on rocky shorelines.

James provided on-site front line response support from Day 3 to Day 9. Vince Mitchell of Lamor took over the role from Day 10. Vince was ideal cover having been involved in a similar spill scenario in California.

The State Incident Commander was grateful to LSES for their assistance. The shipper also extended their appreciation for the professional services offered by LSES on their behalf.

This emergency emphasized the value of the spiller contracting a professional oil spill response organization with the expertise, tools and networks to customize a rapid response in support of the authorities. Except for ITOPF, LSES was the only international responder mobilized during the emergency phase to provide equipment and consultancy.