Exercise held to check response to disasters at sea

A two-day Area Level Pollution Exercise (ALPE) was conducted to evaluate the capabilities and response mechanism at sea, off Karnataka coast, on Friday.

It was conducted by Coast Guard district Headquarter (No 3) in association with New Mangalore port Trust (NMPT), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL).

Preservation, protection of marine ecology, combating oil spill at sea among others are high on the agenda of the Indian Coast Guard.

The two-day exercise aimed to evaluate the response to disasters according to National Oil Spill Disaster and Contingency Plan (NOSDCP).

Tabletop exercise

The Tabletop exercise focused on pollution response. The Spill Management Team demonstrated the procedures and decision making to effectively manage a worst-case spill response along the state’s coast. Karnataka is under the provisions of the NOSDCP for Tier-I and Tier-II Spills.

On the second day, the exercise focused on readiness and integration of the resource agencies equipment, communication procedure and effectiveness of training of oil spill response.

One Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), ICGS Vikram and Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), ICGS Savitri Phule and NMPT’s tugs and barges participated in the exercise.

The two-day Area Level Pollution Exercise assumes importance due to an increase in the movement of oil carrying vessels in the region due to the presence of MRPL and other petrochemical industries.

The evaluation of the tabletop exercise was a critical step in streamlining the effective emergency response plans for the coastal state of Karnataka.