The Marine Unit of the Ministry of Environmental Protection has begun a two-day national exercise simulating a scenario of an oil pollution incident at the EPA terminal that occurred due to a failure to unload a tanker

by time news

This morning (21/02) began two days of a national exercise to deal with the scenario of a sea and beach pollution event in the Gulf of Eilat, a particularly sensitive marine area, with a unique marine ecosystem and protected and rare natural values.

Upon signaling, the scenario was triggered that while a tanker was unloading at the pier at the Eilat EPA terminal, oil (oil) began to flow into the sea following the failure, estimated at about 30 tons of fuel. The incident was initially defined at Tier-1 level, Environment Tamar Zandberg to raise him to Tier-3 at the level of national management. The situation room was opened as part of the exercise at the Marine Pollution Prevention Station in Eilat and the situation room in Haifa. Lewinsky, director of the northern station in the Marine Unit of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

As part of the exercise, the local emergency plans (Eilat Municipality, Nature and Parks Authority) and the factory emergency plans in the Gulf of Eilat (EPA, Eilat Port, Navy) were activated. In the cleaning operations on the beaches.

Oil is the term by law that includes all types of fuels and oils of fossil origin that are transported in the sea including crude oil and distillates such as fuel oil, diesel and gasoline.

Galit Cohen, Director General of the Ministry of Environmental Protection: “About three weeks ago, with the suspicion of an oil slick approaching the shores of Israel, we received a reminder that sea pollution scenarios are not an uncommon occurrence. “It will happen, and how all the bodies will work. Experience shows that exercises are the main key to improving skill and professionalism in dealing with oil pollution incidents, so we perform frequent exercises, to be better prepared in the moment of truth.”

According to Fred Arzuan, Deputy Director of the Marine Unit of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Director of the National Event in the Exercise: “The scenario trains the forces in a quick and high-quality response to the sea pollution incident due to a tanker malfunction, the number of which is growing in the Gulf of Eilat. “Cooperation between the bodies required to act effectively and in a coordinated manner, under the management of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.”

Assaf Haberi, Director of the Eilat Area at the Nature and Parks Authority: Marine pollution in fuels is known to cause damage to many physiological systems of animals in the marine environment, such as marine mammals, sea turtles, fish and various invertebrates, including corals that are the building blocks of coral reefs in Eilat. Damage to corals is manifested, among other things, in damage to coral tissues, their ability to feed, reproduce and the ability of corals to cope with climate change. Coral bleaching is a phenomenon that threatens the existence of many coral reefs in the world. Due to the high resistance of Eilat Bay corals to rising seawater temperatures, this phenomenon has not occurred so far in the bay. “Studies show that marine pollution in fuels increases coral susceptibility to the bleaching phenomenon and thus we will lose the rare opportunity we face to protect a very important ecosystem that is declining elsewhere in the world.”

Dr. Michal Stern, Director of the National Network of Emergency Volunteers at the Aquation Association: “In oil pollution incidents, most of the leak lands on the beaches, even when all possible means of treating the contamination while at sea are activated. Councils and municipalities responsible for caring for and cleaning their beaches need help – “For the absorption of volunteers, beach surveys, etc. For this purpose, the ‘National Network of Marine Emergency Volunteers’ was established, in which quality groups of volunteers from all coastal authorities in the country undergo professional training and participate in exercises similar to the current national exercise in Eilat.”

This exercise is part of an annual training and exercises program conducted by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in order to maintain the competence and skill of the various bodies as part of the annual training and exercises program carried out under the NAP (National Program for Preparedness and Response to Marine Pollution Events).

The firm will continue to report on the exercise.

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