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Directions, Current, Last revision on October 12 2004
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Major Marine Oil Pollution Emergency Response Plan

Promulgated by EPA order on October 12, 2004
Basis

Article 10, Paragraph 2 of the Marine Pollution Control Act: The central competent authority shall draft a marine oil pollution emergency response plan in order to handle major marine oil pollution emergencies and shall submit this plan to the Executive Yuan for approval.

Goal

To prevent, eliminate or mitigate the effect of major marine oil pollution emergencies on human health, the ecology, the environment, and property. When a major marine oil pollution emergency has occurred or is suspected of having occurred, the immediate, effective integration of the resources of government entities at all levels, industrial groups, and civic groups, and the acquisition of pollution handling equipment and professional technical personnel, in accordance with the plan’s notification and response system shall enable the joint achievement of safe, immediate, effective, and coordinated response operations. The scope of major marine oil pollution emergencies referred to in the foregoing paragraph is as follows:

  1. An oil tanker accident, causing the leakage of oil or concern of the leakage of oil
  2. A maritime disaster or other accident involving a ship, causing the leakage of the substances or oil conveyed by the ship, and causing concern of threat to human health or severe pollution of the environment
  3. Major pollution of the marine environment occurring due to emission of oil.

Response measures in the event of major marine pollution incidents other than major marine oil pollution emergencies shall be implemented in accordance with this plan.

Notification system
  1. The navigation competent authority, port management authority, local government, or other relevant unit shall immediately report relevant information to the Environmental Protection Administration and Coast Guard Administration after receiving notification of marine oil pollution; the notification form is shown in Attachment 1. The Environmental Protection Administration shall first determine whether the incident constitutes a major marine oil pollution emergency after receiving notification. If a major marine oil pollution emergency has occurred, the Environmental Protection Administration shall convene relevant Executive Yuan agencies to establish an interagency major marine oil pollution emergency response task force with members including the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of National Defense, Coast Guard Administration, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Council of Agriculture, the local government of the area where the incident occurred, and other relevant agencies. The task force shall assign duties on a provisional basis, and shall establish a major marine oil pollution emergency response center (herein referred to as emergency response center) in accordance with this plan.
  2. If marine rescue units discover that a ship has severe oil leakage when performing rescue duties at a maritime disaster or accident, they shall perform notification via the notification system in the foregoing subparagraph.
  3. After establishment of a emergency response center, the center’s members shall keep informed of the pollution situation at all times, and shall promptly fax report forms concerning the most recent handling circumstances to the emergency response center. Notification procedures are shown in Attachment 2; the format of the report form is shown in Attachment 3.
Division of tasks (organization)
  1. The members of the emergency response center shall include the Environmental Protection Administration, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Coast Guard Administration, Department of Health, Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, Council of Agriculture, National Science Council, and Government Information Office. The center’s organizational structure is shown in Attachment 4. Member agencies shall concurrently establish their own internal response task forces, and shall actively implement relevant response and handling tasks.
  2. The division of duties among the emergency response center’s member agencies is shown in Attachment 5. A roster of personnel stationed by each agency at the emergency response center is shown in Attachment 6, and shall be updated whenever necessary.
  3. The emergency response center may, when necessary, hire experts and scholars to serve as consultants.
Monitoring system:
  1. The Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior (airborne mission units), Coast Guard Administration, National Science Council, and Council of Agriculture (Aerial Survey Institute) shall bear responsibility for monitoring marine oil pollution movements and determining and assessing the extent of oil pollution. The foregoing agencies shall, when necessary, request assistance from the Chinese Petroleum Corporation and private organizations.
  2. The Coast Guard Administration, National Science Council, Council of Agriculture (Aerial Survey Institute), and coastal area management agencies shall bear responsibility for monitoring coastal oil pollution movements and determining and assessing the extent of oil pollution.
  3. Monitoring of water quality and pollutants:
    1. With regard to the monitoring of inshore water quality, local government environmental protection bureaus and the National Science Council in conjunction with the industry competent authority shall perform sampling and testing of inshore water quality and polluting substances.
    2. With regard to other marine water quality monitoring, Coast Guard Administration and National Science Council in conjunction with other industry agencies shall perform sampling and testing of other marine water quality and polluting substances.
  4. The Environmental Protection Administration and National Science Council shall bear responsibility for satellite remote sensing monitoring and assessment of the extent of oil pollution.
  5. Relevant units shall establish satellite image and digitized map databases, marine resource databases, oil pollution clean-up device, equipment, and specialist databases, and human activity databases; the Environmental Protection Administration shall compile said databases and establish joint use mechanisms.
Handling measures
  1. Immediate response
    When marine oil pollution occurs, depending on the location of the pollution, the commercial harbor management agency (when in a commercial harbor), fishing harbor management agency (when in a fishing harbor), industrial harbor management agency (when in an industrial harbor), national park management agency (when in a national park), local government (when in another coastal area), or Coast Guard Administration (when at sea) shall take advantage of its proximity to take timely emergency response measures, including removal of residual oil, deployment of devices to prevent oil pollution from spreading (including oil booms, oil pumps, and oil sorbent cotton), and leak filling, and shall keep relevant manpower and machinery ready for use.
  2. Response levels
    The Environmental Protection Administration shall determine the necessary response level after receiving notification. The Environmental Protection Administration shall assemble a marine oil pollution emergency response task force or forward notification to relevant agencies to take response measures.
    1. Level 1: Oil leakage or suspected oil leakage of less than 100 tons: A small spill; the coastal management agency or local government shall respond.
    2. Level 2: Oil leakage or suspected oil leakage of from 100 tons to 700 tons: A moderate spill or significant spill; the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (in a commercial harbor), Council of Agriculture (in a fishing harbor), Ministry of Economic Affairs (in an industrial harbor), Ministry of the Interior (in a national park), Environmental Protection Administration (in another coastal area), or Coast Guard Administration (at sea) shall respond.
    3. Level 3: Oil leakage or suspected oil leakage in excess of 700 tons: A major spill; the emergency response center shall respond.
    4. Consideration should be made of adopting major oil pollution (Level 3) response measures in the following circumstances; before an emergency response center has been established, relevant agencies shall take advantage of their proximity to take timely emergency response measures, including removal of residual oil, deployment of devices to prevent oil pollution from spreading (including oil booms, oil pumps, and oil sorbent cotton), and leak filling, and shall keep relevant manpower and machinery ready for use:
      1. A marine disaster poses significant risk of pollution.
      2. The leakage of oil from a ship may require the use of marine or aerial response equipment to block spreading or effect dispersal or neutralization.
      3. The magnitude of oil leakage from an oil enterprise exceeds the enterprise’s response capability and requires the use of marine or aerial equipment to block spreading or effect dispersal or neutralization.
      4. The local government or industry competent authority has requested assistance because the magnitude of leakage has exceeded its response capability, and it cannot respond even though it has obtained other support.
  3. Establishment of an emergency response center:
    An emergency response center shall be established in accordance with this plan promptly after determining that the incident constitutes a major marine oil pollution emergency. The Environmental Protection Administration Administrator shall serve as convener of the center, and shall notify the member agencies of the emergency response center, namely the Environmental Protection Administration, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Coast Guard Administration, Council of Agriculture, Department of Health, National Science Council, and Government Information Office (see Attachment 4), to immediately assign personnel to man the center. Depending on the location of the incident, the following authorized agencies shall establish an on-site response center, and shall promptly obtain manpower and equipment resources:
    1. Coastal Regions: Environmental Protection Administration
    2. At Sea: Coast Guard Administration
    3. Commericial Harbors: Ministry of Transportation and Communications (harbor bureaus)
    4. Fishing Harbors: Council of Agriculture (in a fishing harbor)
    5. Industrial Harbor: Ministry of Economic Affairs (Industrial Development Bureau)
  4. Coastal response
    1. Coastal oil pollution on-site response center
      The Environmental Protection Administration shall establish an on-site response center near the site affected by oil pollution; the following personnel shall man the center:
      1. One commander appointed by the Environmental Protection Administration
      2. Representatives of the shipowner or oil enterprise
      3. Representatives of the coastal management agency
      4. Representatives of the Coast Guard Administration
      5. Representatives of the Council of Agriculture
      6. Representatives of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications
      7. Representatives of the Ministry of National Defense
      8. Representatives of the local government
      9. Representatives of relevant academic agencies and other designated agencies.
    2. Content of coastal oil pollution operations
      1. Determination of magnitude and extent of oil pollution; securing relevant materials.
      2. Drafting of a clean-up plan.
      3. Assessment of whether degreasing agents will be needed.
      4. Mobilization of necessary manpower and assembly of needed equipment and devices.
      5. Establishment of a window for communication with the media.
      6. Establishment of mechanisms for communication with the local public.
      7. Implementation of clean-up operations.
      8. Appropriate disposal of the products of oil pollution clean-up.
      9. Implementation of a monitoring and restoration plan.
      10. Implementation of tasks connected with compensation claims.
  5. Response at sea
    1. At-sea oil pollution on-site response center
      The Coast Guard Administration shall establish an on-site incident response center at a coast guard unit near the sea area affected by oil pollution; the following personnel shall man the center:
      1. One marine operation and one airborne operation commander appointed by the Coast Guard Administration
      2. Representatives of the shipowner or oil enterprise
      3. Representatives of harbor management agencies
      4. Representatives of the Fisheries Administration, Council of Agriculture
      5. Representatives of the local government
      6. Representatives of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications
      7. Representatives of the Environmental Protection Administration
      8. Representatives of the Ministry of National Defense
      9. Representatives of other designated agencies
    2. Content of at-sea oil pollution operations
      Please refer to Attachment 8: At-sea Oil Pollution Response Guidelines and relevant coastal oil pollution operation content items.
  6. Commercial harbor response
    The commercial harbor management agency shall respond to the incident under the supervision of the commercial harbor industry competent authority, and shall act in accordance with the regulations of the Commercial Port Act.
  7. Fishing harbor response
    The fishing harbor management agency shall respond to the incident under the supervision of the fishing harbor industry competent authority, and shall assume overall management of oil pollution control, clean-up, and disposal matters within the fishing harbor area; please refer to the content of at-sea and coastal oil pollution operations for operating guidelines.
  8. Industrial harbor response
    The industrial harbor management agency shall respond to the incident under the supervision of the industrial harbor industry competent authority, and shall assume overall management of oil pollution control, clean-up, and disposal matters within the industrial harbor area; please refer to the content of at-sea and coastal oil pollution operations for operating guidelines.
Facilities
  1. Application of machinery and equipment:
    1. All competent authorities, harbor bureaus, oil enterprises, coastal management activities, and local governments shall keep equipment and devices needed for response operations in a state of readiness, and shall regularly maintain, service, and inspect said equipment and devices.
    2. All member agencies and industry competent authorities shall, in accordance with this plan’s division of tasks, keep relevant equipment and devices in a state of readiness.
    3. All agencies, units, and enterprises shall regularly report machinery, equipment, and tool items and flow to the Environmental Protection Administration.
    4. All oil pollution clean-up equipment purchased by member agencies and private organizations may be used in a mutually supporting manner. Equipment loan records shall be properly kept.
    5. The Environmental Protection Administration shall, at least once each year, invite relevant agencies to review equipment and devices needed for nationwide marine oil pollution emergency response tasks, including product names, specifications, and quantities, and each authorized agency and unit shall compile an annual purchase budget.
  2. Please refer to Attachment 9 concerning government and private maritime rescue organizations (excerpted from the ROC Maritime Rescue Handbook).
Training exercises

The Environmental Protection Administration in conjunction with member agencies shall conduct, or commission a relevant agency, organization, or group to conduct, marine oil pollution response training; the training curriculum shall include the discovery, monitoring, and control of oil pollution incidents, oil recovery, evidence collection and sampling, coastal restoration, impact assessment, waste disposal, and the use of various equipment. Response exercises shall also be held regularly.

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