In view of the upcoming hurricane, Equinor shut down operations of the terminal at noon on Saturday 31 August. None of the 54 personnel were at the South Riding Point oil storage terminal when the hurricane landed. Relief, including water and food, was provided to all employees.
Local authorities advised certain areas to evacuate.

International hazmat teams

On-site evacuation

The Bahamas facility was supported by the operator's emergency response facilities in the United States and Norway. Resources were mobilised as quickly as possible to deal with the situation at the terminal site, structures and surrounding areas, including nature and wildlife. A team of tactical experts on oil spill response were on-site preparing the necessary work. Security personnel were also on site at the terminal, working to secure the area and identify potential hazards.

Equinor secured vessels and equipment for oil spill response in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, and from various ports across southeast Florida. Two vessels were mobilized with 42 personnel and onshore oil spill recovery equipment, arriving at the terminal on September 10 (first vessel) and September 12 (second vessel). Onshore and off-shore equipment was mobilised, including oil spill recovery skimmers, oil containment booms, hundreds of bails of various absorbent pads/rolls, wash pumps, roll off boxes for collection generated waste, pressure washers, light towers, and smaller boats and protection equipment. Accommodation and medical support facilities were also provided.

Technical Advisors, Aerial Surveillance, Shoreline/Inland Surveys, and Offshore Response were provided by OSRL.

On the day of the oil spill, people could sense the smell of fuel in the small town of High Rock on Grand Bahama island. The ground around the Norwegian Equinor facility was covered in a viscous black substance after the oil spill.
There was a fear of polluted air and unsafe use of water for drinking and bathing purposes.

Inland (e.g. grassland, cropland, forest)

According to the operator (Equinor), oil was observed on the ground outside of the onshore tanks and in neighboring areas.

On 11 September, Equinor completed the aerial surveillance of the terminal and surrounding areas from the air and the ground and stated that there was no observed leakage of oil to the sea from the South Riding Point terminal. Following Equinor's investigations, it was concluded that the initially reported oil slick in the ocean, 70-80 kilometers north east of the terminal, was actually seaweed.

The environmental areas recognised as being at risk from the spill were:
-Standing water bodies
-Riparian zones
-Air
-Terrestrial Flora and Fauna
-Marine Fauna and Flora
-Natural high-value resources (mangroves, coral reefs, ground water)
-Socio-Economic (Tourism, Ports, Harbour, Marine Terminals
-Fishing
-Resource extraction
-Agriculture

The forest north of the terminal had been significantly affected by the oil spill. Concerns were raised about the leaked oil that could damage local reefs and wildlife. According to experts, tornadic activity could have propelled the oil spill in a norther direction, which did not pose a real threat to the marine environment.

The hurricane Dorian caused widespread damage to the shipping/storage terminal, which was forced to close for repair operations. Operations were disrupted and cargo movements faced delays. Emergency response measures were required to minimise economic impact.

Clean-up and remediation operations were planned to start immediately. Equinor committed to clean up the spills from the South Riding Point oil terminal. Approximately 225 Equinor employees were involved in the response, in addition to external personnel and resources. Equinor’s initial response to the spill included:
-deployment of containment and personnel via helo;
-acquisition of oil spill resources from Louisiana (USA);
-investigation to determine the integrity of oil storage tanks and assessment of storage terminal damage;
-removal of oil spilled within the facility’s berm;
-transfer of oil from the damaged tanks to other tanks within facility to reduce the risk of additional oil spills;
-deployment of oil boom to close the harbor at the terminal as a precautionary measure, and to reduce the risk of oil spill to sea;
-deployment of aerial reconnaissance to determine the scope of pollution; and
-development of an oil response strategy and tactics ahead of arrival of resources (including equipment and supplies) from Louisiana.

A surveillance strategy was established early to delineate the polluted area.
A Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) program was created to support the IMT.
The development of risk assessment tasks were priorised to evaluate the contamination of ground water due to the incident and the risks posed to wildlife.

The EU established plans to set up priorities and guide cleanup operations. This included the monitoring of ground water for potential contamination, the handling of potential impacted wildlife, and the development of waste management strategies. These plans were used as the basis to initiate dialogue with authorities and approve response operations on state-owned land.

Two trucks were used for recovery and transport of bulk free-standing oil on the ground to one of the tanks at the terminal.

Standard procedures were used to secure all parts of terminal for the forecasted hurricane, including securing all equipment.

According to the OSRL post:

1) The following assessments were requested to access the environmental risks of the operational activities at the South Riding Point Terminal due to the oil spill:
- Environmental Risk Analysis (ERA);
- Oil Spill Response Analysis (OSRA); and
- Oil Spill Response Plan (OSRP).
The implementation of an OSRA aimed to tactical and logistical aspects of the preferred response strategies when addressing different oil spill scenarios, how the oil spill could be contained. The results from the OSRA were implemented in the OSRP along with oil spill modelling that detailed the areas potentially at risk of impact from the worse-case spill scenarios that were identified.
Sensitivity maps for the area were developed through a desktop study.

2) The coordination of logistics from Miami were delayed due to the Government Stand Down and the lack of motivation among the local workforce. Obstacles were encountered due to limited access and infrastructure in the area and continuing adverse weather, which hindered the surveillance operations.

3) In order to support the broader relief efforts on the Bahamas, Equinor decided to donate 1 million US dollars to one or more relief organizations involved in the response for the Bahamas.

4) It was essential to have a close cooperation between the EU and the “Operation Section” to secure implementation of approved plans (SCAT, Wildlife, Monitoring and Waste) and to avoid initiating clean up processes that could do more harm than good. The importance of
stakeholder communication, including dialogue with relevant authorities, also required close interaction with the “Command Section” to ensure proper alignment and consistent communication with the authorities along the way. A good data management system was needed from the very beginning of the incident to document progress and secure experience transfer in a constantly changing response organization (2 weeks rotational shifts).

5) It is highly beneficial the access to practical and easily accessible response plan to oil spills. This plan should include an overview of competent authorities roles and responsibilities regarding various aspects of oil spill response (e.g., treatment of oiled wildlife, treatment options, environmental priorities, “agreed level” of recommendations for no further treatment, waste management strategy). Such plans would ensure efficient and well-structured response operations in a timely manner.

6) Equinor needs to define and strengthen the roles and responsibilities in the IMT organization, as a well-organized Shoreline (”Forest”) Response Program is critical for success.

7) Close cooperation with Operation Section and Planning is critical to implement the different plans established under EU, to secure net environmental benefit. Cooperation between EU specialists (SCAT, Wildlife, Monitoring, Waste) with operators is critical and should be further exercised.

8) Establishing a good dialogue with authorities at an early stage is important to ensure alignment in developing situational awareness maps, setting priorities for actions, and properly document operations. In situation where stakeholder communication is extensive, a designated Liaison Officer would be beneficial in overviewing the communication among competent authorities, the regulatory requirements, ensuring consistency in experience exchange.

The Shoreline (“Forest”) Response Program was implemented according to international good practice (IPIECA/IOGP) worked very well and showed to be flexible and easy to adapt to a forest cleanup (no oiled shoreline).

Based on weather forecast upfront of the hurricane, Equinor decided to close the operations of the terminal before the hurricane hit, ensuring the safety of personnel, reducing potential risks.

The situation was complex and challenging. Relief and response efforts were hampered by the flooding and compromised infrastructure (including the terminal and its surroundings) due to damage.

The open communication between the operator (Equinor) informed the local authorities on the initial assessment of the situation was beneficial.