West tidal stream

Various local organisations, involved in the wildlife aspects of a large oil spill, had planned how to cope with such events.

Regional / national hazmat teams

1. EVACUATION
- Non-essential personnel (14 out of the 34 crew members) were initially removed from the vessel by the coastguard helicopter from Sumburgh at 08:25.
- At 08:50, in fear that the ship would run aground near Horse Island and drawing from a similar past experience, the coastguard persuaded the Captain to abandon the tanker. It was decided to attempt its tow and the anchor handling vessel Star Sirius arrived to the scene.
- Following a communication loss between the local police and the coastguards, the master and some personnel were put back on board the vessel, who were finally rescued by the helicopter at 11:19, when the vessel was confirmed to be grounded.
- Evacuation of residents from housing in the area was not put into action, but it was under consideration if pollution levels became too high.
- The area around Quendale beach was closed off in fear that the oil could set off an explosion.

2. COORDINATION AND MONITORING
- A Joint Response Centre made up of local councillors, managers, environmentalists and technicians was set up.
- Aircraft were immediately ordered to monitor the spread of the oil. During the first few days of the spill, efforts were concentrated in the south-west Mainland. Due to the northward spread of the oil up the west side by 12 January, surveys had been extended to cover the longer stretches of accessible coastline. All accessible beaches were checked during the course of the spill.
- A wildlife response command centre was set up to direct all activities relating to wildlife affected by the spill.
- An Ecological Steering Group was established by 26 January to co-ordinate the environmental assessment, focusing on human health, economic and ecological issues.

3. VOLUNTEERING
- Several "walk-in" helpers came from outside Shetland to helped out both on beaches and in key duties. Beaches were checked by the volunteers at least twice per day to collect all dead and any live birds and animals from accessible beaches.

4. DESIGNATION ACT
A designation under section 2 of the Protection of Wrecks Act was made on 5 February 1993, to designate the wreck as dangerous due to the presence of the oil. The designation was revoked on 7 October 1994 following dispersal of the oil.

5. OTHER MEASURES
- In the aftermath of this accident, the Government decided to set up an Independent Inquiry to advise on potential further measures to protect UK coastline from pollution from merchant shipping.
- The Government convened a meeting of national and international organisations responsible for tanker operations globally.
- The Code "Interim Voluntary Code - Routeing in UK waters for Ships carrying Oil and other Hazardous Cargoes in Bulk" was adopted by IMA in November 1993.
- The Government commissioned a survey to establish the availability of salvage resources to assist a disabled tanker off the coast of the UK.
- Internationally, the new International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Regulations for the construction of oil tankers will significantly contribute to the prevention of pollution.

Compared with typical North Sea oil, the Gulfaks crude oil properties (i.e., lighter, easily dispersible, and more biodegradable) prevented the event from having greater impacts on the shore. However, the higher percentage of volatile compounds may relate to the high rate of respiratory distress noted in seals in the area.

The total number of dead birds recovered from beaches during January was 1,538. The (Ecological) Steering Group published an interim (1993) and a final report (1994) on the monitoring strategy and methods. They concluded that although there were local and limited adverse effects, the overall impact of the spill had been minimal.

Aircraft were immediately ordered to spray chemical dispersants on the oil, which started on day two.

A Greenpeace ship arrived in Shetland on day two with facilities to help mammals and birds affected by the oil spill. 23,000 sheep were removed from the area.

- Corrective actions should be made immediately when mechanical defects (e.g., broken loose pipes, compromised integrity of fuel oil system) are observed, as they can be related to a hazardous situation.

- Float seal valves should remain operational and efficient at all times, a matter of great importance that should not be underestimated.

-Alternative methods of dispersing the oil, such as mechanical methods or burning, were considered, but they were rejected because they were thought to be ineffective in the bad weather or dangerous.
-In any oil spill, it is difficult to estimate the proportion of the actual mortality found on beach surveys, and several factors made that even harder in this case, i.e., shorelines could not be searched thoroughly due to persistent storms neither the winds enabled the catching of live birds, while the weather also prevented systematic searches of the islands.