Coast guard hold exercise in Kakinada to check preparedness to address oil spill

Visakhapatnam: Indian Coast Guard Region (East) conducted Regional Pollution Response Exercise (RPREX-2023) from 11 to 13 April in Kakinada. The aim of the exercise was to check the operational efficiency of ICG units, oil handling agencies, state administration, and other stakeholders to respond to an incident of an oil spill at sea.

The exercise comprised a tabletop exercise on 11 April, a sea exercise on 12 April, and culminated with shore cleaning exercise on 13 April.

The sea exercise simulated oil pollution due to collision and damage to an oil tanker off Kakinada and six ICG ships responded, including a pollution control vessel, an ICG Dornier aircraft, an ICG helicopter, and sea-going assets from ONGC, RIL, Vedanta, and KSPL. The exercise was further progressed by simulating an oil slick at NTR beach, Kakinada, wherein the shoreline clean-up capabilities were demonstrated by the Kakinada district administration in coordination with AP Pollution Control Board.

The sea area off Kakinada was selected as the venue for the exercise considering large-scale exploration and production activities in the Krishna Godavari basin and the transit route of crude oil tankers which makes the area potential for emergencies necessitating large-scale oil spill response. The Regional Pollution Response Exercise (RPREX-23) witnessed large-scale participation of all stakeholders, resource agencies, and district administration towards a coordinated effort to address any spill eventuality at sea.

Commandant G. Venu Madhav, commanding officer, of Coast Guard Station, Kakinada oversaw the conduct of the exercise. Delegates from port authorities, oil handling agencies, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, fisheries department, district administration, and Disaster Management, Marine Police participated in the exercise.