Government and industry delegation to Spain

A delegation of provincial government and industry leaders is departing Newfoundland and Labrador for Galicia, Spain on Friday, January 17, on an information-sharing mission regarding the oil spill from the tanker Prestige.

Kevin Aylward, Minister of Environment, said: "We want to ensure that we are aware of what can be done, first and foremost, to enhance spill prevention, and to ensure that industry and government - both federal and provincial - are fully prepared to respond effectively. Spill prevention and response are the legislative responsibility of the federal government under the Canada Shipping Act; however, it is the lifestyles and livelihoods of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that would be affected. It is our coast, coves and beaches that would be coated in oil."

In 1992, Placentia Bay was identified by the Brander-Smith Review Panel as the location in Canada most at risk for an oil spill accident. Since that time, tanker activity in Placentia Bay has steadily increased: the Newfoundland Transshipment Terminal began operations and activity at the Come-by-Chance refinery increased, with the onset of Hibernia oil production in 1997 and Terra Nova oil production in 2001. Placentia Bay facilities now handle the largest volume of oil in Canada.

"Last fall, I met with federal ministers directly responsible for protection of the marine environment - Robert Thibault, Minister, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and David Anderson, Minister, Environment Canada - to recommend several actions to augment spill prevention," said Minister Aylward. "I have also invited the federal government to participate in this delegation. In addition, we have met with those individuals and companies most involved in marine oil operations. As a result, the level of participation by the industry in this delegation is very significant. The provincial government has worked directly with the government of the affected region of Galicia and the Canadian Embassy in Madrid to identify the timing and details of a fact-finding mission that would meet our needs for information and observation."

In November 2002, the 26 year old tanker Prestige sank off the coast of Spain, with 70,000 tonnes of oil on board. Before sinking, the vessel was spewing tons of fuel oil a day and could continue leaking under water until 2006, causing long-lasting damage to the coastline of north-west Spain.

In response to the disaster, Spain dispatched 500 navel cadets to its northern coast. Some 7,000 military personnel, fishermen and volunteers are engaged in the ongoing clean-up effort, which stretches more than 900 km along the Spanish coastline. So far, clean-up operations have collected more than 12,000 tonnes of oil from the sea, plus 3,000 tonnes from beaches in Galicia. Blobs of oil have also appeared hundreds of kilometers away, blackening the coastline.

Spanish authorities have also imposed an extensive fishing ban. More than 900 km of the Galician coast have been closed to fishing, and almost 800 km (497 miles) closed to shellfish gathering. More than 4,000 fishermen have been put out of work.

Minister Aylward said, "The scale of this terrible disaster has made it imperative that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador push the federal government to apply more resources to oil spill prevention and response and to deal effectively with our recommendations in this area."

Key provincial recommendations to the federal government regarding oil spill prevention and response include: increased surveillance in the shipping lanes off the Newfoundland and Labrador coast; increased cooperation on airborne surveillance among the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Department of National Defence; mobilization of all available technologies to increase surveillance; imposition of higher fines and penalties for infractions; and acceleration of the International Maritime Organization�s global plan for an "Automatic Identification System", whereby all vessels will carry a beacon and can be tracked at all times, in real time; and the implementation of a "no sail zone" along the south coast of the Island of Newfoundland, so that all vessels must stay 20 to 30 miles off the coast, unless entering Placentia Bay.

"There are lessons to be learned from this tragedy," said Minister Aylward. "The delegation will be briefed on Spain�s spill prevention and response competencies and responsibilities at the provincial, national and local levels. The delegation will review methods and actions put into effect by the Spanish Maritime Environmental Control Center. We will also visit the facilities of the Galician Ministry of Environment for the recuperation of birds and sea life, the Maritime Traffic Control Tower and the Corporation for Maritime Salvage and Safety, to see first-hand what is being done to mitigate this tragedy. The delegation will also stop in London, UK, on our return to meet with representatives of the insurance industry, the tanker industry and management of the international conventions and funds for oil spill compensation. These sessions were suggested and arranged by John Henley, Newfoundland Transshipment Limited, and will round out our fact finding effort."

The Newfoundland and Labrador delegation will include representatives from the Department of Environment, Petro-Canada, Newfoundland Transhipment Limited, North Atlantic Refinery, Canship, the Fisheries, Food and Allied Workers Union, the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association and the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Association.

Media contact: Cynthia Layden-Barron, Communications, 709 729-2575, 709 682-6765

BACKGROUNDER

Kevin Aylward                                         Minister, Department of Environment,
                                                             Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Leslie Grattan                                         Deputy Minister (Projects), Department of Environment
                                                             Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
John Henley                                           President, Newfoundland Transshipment Limited
Gunther Baumgartner                              President, North Atlantic Refinery, Come-by-Chance
Urban Williams                                       Senior Advisor, Environment & Emergency Response,
                                                             East Coast Operations, Petro Canada
Glenn Mifflin                                           President, North Atlantic Refining Limited
Alan Bell                                                Vice President, Operations, Canship Ltd.
Greg Pretty                                            Director, Fisheries, Food and Allied Workers
Stan Tobin                                             President, Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental 
                                                            Association
Cynthia Layden-Barron                           Communications Director, Department of Environment,
                                                            Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Monday, January 20, 2003 - Santiago
Provincial, national and local co-ordination and co-operation in responding to the Prestige oil spill
     - Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
     - Director General, Maritime Environment Control centre
     - Canadian Ambassador to Spain

Tuesday, January 21, 2003 - La Coruna
Tour of response operations including coast clean-up, oiled wildlife recovery facilities, volunteer co-ordination, and meetings with fishing and aquaculture industries
     - Ministry of Environment

Wednesday, January 22, 2003 - La Coruna and Santiago
Integrated Operational Control Centre and briefing from Prestige Response Co-ordinators Corporation for Maritime Salvage and Safety at the Maritime Traffic Control Tower

Close-out meeting with Premier of Galicia and Canadian Ambassador to Spain.

Thursday, January 23/03 London UK
Meeting with GARD P&I Club and representatives of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation to review how the P&I insurance covers oil pollution, when and how the International Oil Pollution Fund for compensation is initiated.
Meeting with OCIMF (Oil Companies International Marine Forum) as arranged by IMT (ExxonMobil's International Shipping Company)for a briefing on their tanker inspection process.

Friday, January 24/03 London UK
Meeting with American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) the world's leading classification society for tankers for a briefing on the classification system, from vessel design through to operation and their inspection/survey process.

Meeting with Vitol, the parent company of the North Atlantic Refining Limited

2003 01 16                                       3:05 p.m.