Oil spill drill in Musandam

Muscat, Dec 17 - The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs and Oman Oil Company Exploration Production (OOCEP) will organise a national oil spill response drill named Nawras 2018 at Musandam gas plant on December 18 and 19. Government and private entities will take part in the drill in accordance with the national plan to combat oil pollution. The Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Health, Royal Oman Police, Coast Guard, Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance, Royal Air Force of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Maritime Security Centre, and Oman Petroleum and Environmental Services Company (PESCO) will take part in the drill. The drill, aims to activate contingency plans of government and private agencies involved in combating oil spills, tests their readiness in combating oil spill and pollution, as well as assessing the cooperation and response between regional and international organisations.
The selection of Musandam Governorate to implement this exercise was due to the environmental sensitivity of the site, where the Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the world’s major waterways and the busiest in maritime activities. With an oil tanker passing every six minutes during peak hours, the strait is a route through which 60 per cent of world’s oil is transported.