EVALUATION OF THE RESPONSE BY SPECIALISEDFOREIGN VESSELS TO THE RELEASE OF OILFROM PRESTIGE

摘要

Following the spill of oil from PRESTIGE, Spain and Portugalrncalled for resources to assist in the response. Over the followingrnmonth, a major fleet was assembled with sixteen vessels from eightrnnations. Although a significant volume of oil was subsequently collectedrnat sea the vessels experienced varying degrees of success.rnThis paper looks at the operations of each vessel and considersrnthe reasons for their different performance. Consideration is givenrnto the behaviour and spread of the oil and how this affected operations.rnThe capabilities of the vessels to recover oil in Atlanticrnwaters and to store and subsequently discharge this oil are considered.rnThe containment and recovery systems used are analysedrnto determine their suitability in the circumstances. The commandrnand control of the fleet by the authorities is discussed. The paperrnconcludes by comparing the effectiveness of this fleet of specialisedrnvessels with that of the fleet of fishing vessels which con-rncontributedrnto the overall volume of oil collected at sea.