US helps Civil Defence Commission develop plan to tackle oil spill

Jun 18, 2016 News

The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) will be meeting with US authorities to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to address oil spills as part of its preparedness and response effort in the event of a disaster.

The US is helping emergency response team, CDC, to deal with any likely scenario of an oil spill.

CDC’s Deputy Director General, Kester Craig, has indicated that the CDC officials will meet with the US Southern Command on June 27, next, to focus on what needs are required to develop a national plan and Standard Operating Procedures on oil spills, a government statement said yesterday.
Guyana has started oil exploration and is expected to start producing oil and gas by 2020, following a major find last year.
“Definitely you’ll need to have those plans in place,” Craig said.
The upcoming meeting is part of the CDC’s efforts towards preparedness and response in disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction. Craig pointed out that the CDC has been in discussion with oil companies such as Repsol and CGX reviewing their “comprehensive oil response plan.
Guyana has a national disaster risk reduction platform that works with stakeholders to develop national disaster risk reduction programmes, as part of reducing the impact of disasters in the country.
“We are reviewing these plans to ensure that they are in keeping with our national plans and policies,” Craig noted.