WELCOME TO SPILL ALERT

WELCOME TO SPILL ALERT

Lee Barber, Chair UK and Ireland Spill Association

The Prime Minister’s announcement on 22 February gave a clear road map out of lockdown and will hopefully lead to the relaxation of restrictions on movement and meeting.

It means that we may be having a face to face event and AGM in September. Let’s hope his plan works!

In the meantime, we have now had over 1000 attendees to our webinars since we started, tentatively, in December. That

these are drawn from across the globe is a strong argument for these continuing in the future; part of a new way of working and communicating which may not have happened without the pandemic. The Knowledge Base webinar series that was created by the Marine Working Group to replace our Marine Spill Event in June, will provide a library, accessible through our website, to all who wish to learn the tools of the spill response trade to which we will add in the future.The transition to net zero has seen oil companies write down the value of their assets such that of the big five; Exxon, Chevron, BP, Shell and Total all made billion dollar losses last year. As they evolve from

oil to energy companies it will be interesting to see the opportunities that open up for our members. We are tracking this closely.As the article of the History of ISAS shows, incidents involving the loss of oil have been the source of spill response work since the 1960s. As the use of it reduces how does our industry react? Joining UKIFDA and OFTEC in supporting the use of second and third generation biofuels as drop in alternatives derived from surplus vegetation from food production to reduce emissions may mean tanks and their infrastructure remain and need to be maintained. What happens then? We need to start mapping out a 10 and 15 year plan for the Association and through that identify opportunities for our members – decommissioning redundant fuel facilities must be high on the list.

At our recent Board Meeting I was delighted to see the screenshots of www.ukeirespill. org which will go live in April. It looks fresh and gives a crisper, more contemporary and professional look to the Association. Our new branding has been well received and is a solid platform on which to promote the industry and tell of the good work its does across the country. I look forward to seeing www.isasaccreditation.org go live and finish

this modernisation and new presentation of what we do to all we work with and for.I look forward to seeing you – face to face – later this year!