Oil Spills

The Marlborough District Council is responsible for responding to reported marine oil spills within the district and within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea boundary.

There is a legal requirement for anyone who discovers an oil spill, irrespective of its size, or who is involved in an incident that may result or actually results in an oil spill, to report it. Council's 24-hour telephone service 03 520 7400 ensures any such reports are attended to immediately.

Information regarding the spill is vital in the preliminary stages. Callers will be asked a number of questions aimed at determining a number of factors and facts. Council's primary aims are to verify the spill, the quantity spilled, whether the spill is on-going and what the immediate threats are. Based on this information, the extent of the immediate response needed can be assessed.

Council has a Marine Oil Spill Response Plan, approved by the Director of Maritime New Zealand, that sets out the steps to be taken in responding to an oil spill. Overall control for an oil spill response is vested in a regional on-scene commander, who is given significant powers under the Maritime Transport Act 1994 when responding to an oil spill.

A response operation may be as small as one person operating from a suitable vehicle for a small spill, to the use of a full-scale response team.

The district has a number of personnel trained specifically in oil spill response and capable of dealing immediately with small to medium sized spills. If a spill is so big that the district cannot respond effectively, assistance from Maritime New Zealand and the National Oil Spill Response team in managing the spill response.

Commensurate with the risk of oil spills, sufficient supplies of containment, recovery and dispersal equipment is located at Picton for rapid deployment to the spill site by various means.

More information on oil spill response is available under Oil Spills in the Emergencies section.