International Journal
on Marine Navigation
and Safety of Sea Transportation
Volume 6
Number 4
December 2012
1 PROBLEMATIC OF OIL SPILLS AT SEA
1.1 Traffic at Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is one of the most heavily trafficked
seas in the world. Ships traffic account for 15% of
the world’s cargo transportation. Both the number
and the size of ships have grown in recent years,
especially in respect to oil tankers, and this trend is
expected to continue.
The main environmental effects of shipping and
other activities at sea include air pollution, illegal
deliberate and accidental discharges of oil,
hazardous substances and other wastes, and the
unintentional introduction of invasive alien
organisms via ships’ ballast water or hulls.
According to the HELCOM AIS, there are about
2,000 ships in the Baltic marine area at any given
moment, and each month around 3,500–5,000 ships
ply the waters of the Baltic (HELCOM, Overview
Of The Shipping Traffic In The Baltic Sea, April
2009).
Figure 1. Cargo, tanker and passenger ship traffic on the Baltic
Sea during two days in November 2008 (HELCOM, Overview
Of The Shipping Traffic In The Baltic Sea, April 2009).
The Method of Optimal Allocation of Oil Spill
Response in the Region of Baltic Sea
L. Gucma, W. Juszkiewicz & K. Łazuga
Maritime University of Szczecin, Poland
ABSTRACT: This paper describes the results of a study that aimed at developing an effective anchor watch
supporting system to prevent dragging anchor accidents of small domestic merchant ships. The authors
performed an experimental study using a training ship in order to investigate the characteristics of the hull
movement of a ship lying at single anchor, the cable tension caused by the above movement and etc. Based on
the results of the study, the authors propose a standard procedure for safe anchor watch and a new anchor
watch supporting system using a PC, a DGPS and an anemometer.
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1.2 Overview of oil spills at the Baltic Sea
The transportation of oil and other potentially
hazardous cargoes is growing steeply and steadily.
More than 4,400 tankers loaded with oil left or
entered the Baltic Sea in 2007 and in both 2007 and
2008 approximately 170 million tonnes of oil were
shipped on the Baltic Sea. Both the number and size
of the ships (especially oil tankers) have been
growing during last years and now ships carrying up
to 150 thousand tons of oil can be seen in the Baltic.
By 2015, a 40% increase is expected in the amounts
of oil being shipped on the Baltic and the number of
large tankers is expected to grow, with more tankers
carrying 100,000-150,000 tonnes of oil (HELCOM,
Overview Of The Shipping Traffic In The Baltic Sea,
April 2009).
Figure 2. Amount of oil transported to and from the Baltic Sea
via the Great Belt during 2000-2008 (SHIPPOS 2000-2007 and
Danish reporting system, 2008)
2 METHOD OF OPTIMAL ALLOCATION OF
OIL SPILL RESPONSE RESOURCES
2.1 Response resources allocation at Baltic Sea
When an oil spill occurs it is necessary to respond
with sufficient cleanup equipment within the
shortest possible time in order to protect marine
environment and minimize cleanup and damage
costs. At Baltic Sea region every country is equipped
with their own response resources. Picture below
(Fig.3) shows location of those equipment.
Figure 3. Response resources at Baltic Sea (HELCOM
database)
2.2 Model of optimal allocation
Model apply the statistical data consist of the
frequency, volume, type, location, weather
conditions, and sea-state of an oil spill event.
Statistical analysis is performed on historical data to
determine the expected volume, type and weather
and sea conditions for Baltic Sea region. The
analysis is performed to determine certain input
parameters such as the number and type of
equipment required to respond to a given spill and
the expected travel times for transporting the
equipment from a facility site to spill site. The travel
time for response equipment depends on the distance
between facility site and the spill site, the type of
equipment, and on the weather and sea conditions.
After obtain the required data they are used to
simulate an oil spill on PISCES II simulator.
Figure 4. Model of optimal allocation.
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3 COST OPTIMIZATION OF ALLOCATION OF
ANTI POLLUTION RESOURCES
3.1 Optimization model
It is assumed that the fixed costs of opening facility
site and the operating costs of the equipment are
known. Costs include the costs of acquiring the
equipment to be located at the site (these costs
depend on the location of the site and vary with the
geographical location), cost of maintaining the
equipment, the transportation and cleanup costs. The
following goal function is applied:
K
A
+K
s
→min
where:
K
A
-cost of cleanup operation,
K
S
-cost of environmental pollution,
with restrictions:
O
1
- allocation of resources are only in specific
locations (eq. ports),
O
2
- the number of available rescue units and the cost
of their maintenance in standby for action does not
exceed the state budget,
O3- disposal of recovered oil and oily waste should
only be considered after all possibilities of
processing it for use as a fuel or raw materials have
been exhausted.
4 MODEL APPLICATION - CASE STUDY
4.1 Simulation model
PISCES II is an incident response simulator
designed for preparing and conducting command
centre exercises and area drills. The application is
developed to support exercises focusing on oil spill
response. The PISCES II provides the exercise
participants with interactive information
environment based on the mathematical modelling
of an oil spill interacting with surroundings and
combat facilities. The system also includes
information-collecting facilities for the assessment
of the participants’ performance.
The PISCES II spill model simulates processes in
an oil spill on the water surface: transport by
currents and wind, spreading, evaporation,
dispersion, emulsification, viscosity variation,
burning, and interaction with booms, skimmers, and
the coastline (stranding or beaching). The following
factors are taken into consideration in the math
model:
− Environmental parameters: coastline, field of cur-
rents, weather, wave height and water density;
− Physical properties of spilled oil: specific gravity,
surface tension, viscosity, distillation curve and
emulsification characteristics;
− Properties of spill sources;
− Human response actions: booming, on-water re-
covery, application of chemical dispersants.
4.2 Simulation input data
The simulation scenarios have been build on with
application of two potential oil spill points at Baltic
Sea: the first in Gdańsk Bay and the other in the
vicinity of Bornholm. Those points have been
chosen from stochastic oil spill risk model presented
in Gucma L., Przywarty M.: “The Model of Oil
Spills Due to Ships Collisions in Southern Baltic
Area”. The “National Plan of Fighting Threats and
Environmental Pollutions at Sea” have been also
considered.
Oil spill accident can occur in arbitrary moment.
Scenarios were simulated for risk of oil spill impact
evaluation. Meteorological conditions represent
average Baltic Sea conditions. On the base of wind
and current data probable situations were formed.
The data show hypothetical pollution zones for no
ice conditions.
Figure 5. Risk points at the Baltic Sea (Gucma, Przywarty
TRANS’NAV 2007).
4.3 Simulation no 1
First stage of simulations was held in the vicinity
of Bornholm and average spring weather conditions
were used. In the accident point 6 000 ton of light oil
reached the leak. Accurate data concerning spilt oil
and weather conditions are described in the table 1.
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Table 1. Simulation 1- weather conditions
___________________________________________________
Accident coordinates φ=55°29,435’N
λ=
014°48,462’E
Current direction 90°
Current speed 0,25 kts
Wind direction 270°
Wind speed 8 kts
Air temperature 20 °C
Water temperature 8 °C
Sea state 1 m
Water density
1,
006
Pressure 1012 hPa
Cl
oudiness 5
A
mount of oil 6000 t
R
atio 6000 t/h
Type of oil IFO 180
___________________________________________________
Figure below shows oil slick movement after oil
spill at Baltic Sea (Bornholm).
Figure 6. Oil slick after 16 min.
Figure 7. Response vessel under way.
Figure 8. Movement of boom formation.
Figure 9. Oil slick after 3 h 20 min.
4.4 Simulation no 2
This scenario was held in Pomorska Bay and
average summer weather conditions (June) were
simulated. In the set point 5000 tons of oil reached
the leak. Oil and weather conditions are described in
the table 2.
Table 2: Simulation no 2- weather conditions.
___________________________________________________
Accident coordinates φ=54°18,6’N
λ=
014°15,6’E
Environmental conditions
Current direction 90°
Current speed 0,25 kts
Wind direction 100°
Wind speed 3 kts
A
ir temperature 20 °C
W
ater temperature 15 °C
S
ea state 0 m
W
ater density 1,006
Pressure 1012 hPa
Cl
oudiness 5
A
mount of oil 20 000 t
R
atio 5000 t/h
Type of oil IFO 180
___________________________________________________
Boom Formation:
− Boom: RO-BOOM 1500
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− Left vessel: m/s Zefir
− Right vessel: m/s Czesław
− Skimmer: Seaskimmer 50
− Middle vessel: m/s Kapitan Poinc
Figure 10. Simulation start.
Figure 11. Oil slick thickness is 6.6 mm.
Figure 12. Creating boom formation
Table 3: Response operation costs.
___________________________________________________
Report time date
___________________________________________________
begin 06:00 20.07.2010
end 15:43 20.07.2010
Costs by organizations
No organization
Capitan Poinc $7 112,60
Expandi 4300 (800m) $874,50
m/s Czeslaw II $2 176,53
m/z Zefir $796,77
Ro-Boom 1500 (600m) $1 739,28
Seaskimmer 50 $871,50
Total $13 571,18
40713,55 PLN
___________________________________________________
5 CONCLUSION
A major use of this model could be for control of
response resources (contingency planning) and find
new locations for vessels and equipment to minimize
costs of cleanup. It could be used for simulations
and training. Further research needs to test the
validity of such model.
Optimization of location response resources
depending on reduction of costs is also very
important. Full complement of planned simulations,
based on predicted ships’ accidents, should give an
answer: whether an allocation of responses or their
expansion are necessary. Protection of the Baltic Sea
environment without bearing the unnecessary costs
is a main purpose of research. First results of
accident and antipollution action based on the real
data are described in this paper.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This paper was created with support of project Baltic
Master II, partially EU founded Baltic Sea Region
Programme 2007-2013.
REFERENCES
Galt J. A.: “The Integration of Trajectory Models and Analysis
Into Spill Response Information Systems: the Need for a
Standard” Second International Oil Spill Research and
Development Forum, May 1995.
Gucma L., Przywarty M.: :
“The Model of Oil Spills Due to
Ships Collisions in Southern Baltic Area”, Conference
proceedings TRANS’NAV 2007 “Advances in Marine
Navigation and safety of sea transportation”, Monograph,
Edited by Adam Weintrit, The Nautical Institute, Gdynia
2007, ISBN: 978-83-7421-018-8.
HELCOM “Overview of the ship traffic”, April 2009
Lazuga K., Juszkiewicz W.:”The probability of cost pollution-
accident simulation in the PISCES II Simulator”,
Conference proceeding 8
th
International Probabilistic
Workshop, Szczecin 2010.
National Plan of Fighting Threats and Environmental
Pollutions at Sea. SSAR, Gdynia 2005.
Specification for PISCES II, July 2007
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