OSCE supports discussion on response to oil spills in Kazakhstan
ATYRAU, 24 April 2015 – An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on promoting internationally-sound preparedness and response to oil spills through the introduction of a regional oil spill contingency plan was held today in Atyrau, western Kazakhstan.
The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in close co-operation with the Energy Ministry, the Oil Spills Preparedness Initiative for Caspian Sea, Black Sea and Central Eurasia (OSPRI), launched in 2003 by all major oil industry investors in the region, and the US Embassy in Kazakhstan.
It brought together some 60 participants from the central and regional authorities, the oil and shipping industries, international and non-governmental organizations, who discussed and endorsed a draft template on preparedness and response to oil spills and related incidents in the country’s regions. The draft was developed by international and national experts at the request of the host country with the OSCE Office’s support on the basis of the technical parameters set by the OSPRI It complements the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan and aims to contribute to the improved performance of the incident command system in Kazakhstan’s oil-rich regions.
The roundtable also facilitated the exchange of international expertise, available best practices and experience in combating consequences of oil spills in various parts of the world, most notably in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
"Properly addressing oil spill preparedness and response requires that all stakeholders must work together," said Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. “This template regional plan structure outlines a coordinated and integrated approach in alignment to current national legislation and incorporates international good practices in the form of guidance from the OSCE, the International Maritime Organization and the International Standards Organization.”
The OSPRI manager, Peter Taylor, said: “Once approved, the regional oil spill plan will be an important tool to ensure that the regional authorities have a system that will ensure effective co-ordination and integration of all relevant resources both from government and private sectors. A critical first step in the plan’s implementation will be the convening of the standing Working Group on oil spill preparedness and response in support of the existing Commission on Emergencies at the regional level, which will keep the plan updated and relevant.”
The event is part of the Office’s long-term efforts to support sustainable development and disaster risks’ management in Kazakhstan.