Environmental Response
Related publications
The
Canadian Coast Guard is responsible for ensuring the clean-up of all
oil, and other noxious substance spills in Canadian waters
Report a marine pollution incident
Pursuant to section 132.(1) of the Vessel Pollution Dangerous Chemicals Regulations,
all pollution or threats of pollution must be reported by vessels and
Oil Handling Facility operators. These reports must be made in
accordance with the Guidelines for Reporting Incidents Involving Dangerous Goods, Harmful Substances and / or Marine Pollutants, TP9834.
Incidents may be reported by contacting an MCTS center or by calling VHF Channel 16
When calling in a Spill Report, you will may be asked to provide the following information:
- Your name
- Telephone number
- Location of the spill
- Quantity of the spill
- Type of product spilled
- On scene weather
International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation
Canada is signatory to the International Convention on Oil Pollution
Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC). Under this agreement,
Canada can be called upon to provide assistance to a marine pollution
incident to other signatory states. Likewise, Canada could call upon
other signatory states for assistance in a major incident. More
information on the OPRC convention is provided by the International Maritime Organization.
Marine Spills Contingency Plan
The Environmental Response Marine Spills Contingency Plan defines the
scope and framework within which the Canadian Coast Guard will operate
to ensure a response to marine pollution incidents.
See the Marine spills contingency plan.
Please note that the recent announcement regarding Canada’s new
national “Oceans Protection Plan” signifies the launch of several
initiatives aimed at augmenting and improving the Canadian Coast Guard’s
marine pollution preparedness and response systems. As such, the
Marine Spills Contingency Plan will be updated periodically as these
initiatives become implemented.
Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan
Canada-US Joint Marine Spills Contingency Plan
The Canadian Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard Office of
Response are the custodians of the Canada-United States Joint Marine
Pollution Contingency Plan. The purpose of this plan is to outline and
define the roles and responsibilities of the various players who would
participate in the cleanup efforts of a marine pollution incident
occurring in the contiguous waters between Canada and the United-States.
Canada also has international agreements with other countries, such
as France for St. Pierre and Miquelon and Denmark for Greenland, that
share contiguous waters.
Environmental Response
Environmental Response
The Canadian Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for the response
component of Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Preparedness Response Regime. The
Environmental Response program monitors or manages the clean-up efforts
for any ship-source or mystery source pollution incident in waters
under Canadian jurisdiction.
The Canadian Coast Guard
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) is a special operating agency of
Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It owns and operates the federal
government’s civilian fleet and provides key maritime services to
Canadians. CCG’s responsibilities include: maritime safety; protection
of marine and freshwater environments; facilitation of maritime commerce
and sustainable development; and support of marine scientific
excellence.
The CCG’s Environmental Response (ER) program’s mission is to ensure
an appropriate level of preparedness and response capability for all
ship-source and mystery source pollution incidents in waters under
Canadian jurisdiction. To that end, CCG implements a consistent approach
for responding to marine pollution incidents in all regions of Canada.
ER’s specific mission objectives are to:
- Minimize the impact of marine pollution incidents on public safety;
- Minimize the environmental impact of marine pollution incidents; and,
- Minimize the economic impact of marine pollution incidents.
Each of the three CCG regions applies these mission objectives in
their day-to-day operations. CCG ER headquarters provides the necessary
policies, directives, guidelines, and systems to support the nationally
consistent application of these objectives in all CCG regions in Canada.
Responding to Pollution
Response Operations
The CCG is the lead federal agency for all ship-source oil spills or
pollution incidents in waters under Canadian jurisdiction. When the
polluter has been identified and is willing and able to respond, the CCG
will advise the polluter of its responsibilities and, once satisfied
with the polluter’s intentions and plans, will assume the role of
Federal Monitoring Officer (FMO). However, in cases where the polluter
is unknown, unwilling or unable to respond, the CCG will assume the
overall management of the incident as On-Scene Commander (OSC). In all
cases, CCG ER will ensure an appropriate response.
National Support Team
The National Support Team (NST) exists to:
- Coordinate the augmentation of CCG’s monitoring or response
operations to a marine pollution incident through the cascading of human
and material resources from across Canada and abroad;
- Provide international assistance to a marine pollution incident;
- Provide humanitarian aid in response to a natural or man-made disaster.
The NST is comprised of all CCG ER personnel and assets. A cadre of
expertise is in place across the country and may be brought together,
along with materiel resources, to provide a coordinated national
response to a marine pollution incident. This concept may apply when the
CCG serves as the OSC, FMO, or resource agency to another Government
department. Cascading of the NST resources is done when the complexity
of an incident exceeds the response capacity of locally available public
or private sector resources.
Canada’s Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime
In 1993, amendments to the Canada Shipping Act led to the creation of
a network of private sector oil spill response organizations. Funded
and operated by the private sector, the regime was established in 1995
to enable industry to respond to oil spills of up to 10 000 tonnes in
Canadian waters south of 60 degrees north latitude. All oil tankers of
150 tonnes gross tonnage and all other vessels of 400 tonnes gross
tonnage trading in Canadian waters, as well as oil handling facilities
located within Canadian jurisdiction, must have an arrangement with a
response organization. These arrangements are administered by Transport
Canada as part of their responsibility for the overall Canadian Oil
Spill Response Regime.
Contingency Planning
In the event of an oil spill or other pollution incident in Canadian
waters, CCG must be prepared to respond in a timely and efficient
manner. In accordance with the Emergency Management Act, the CCG is
required to develop and maintain a National Response Plan. This Plan
defines the roles and responsibilities of the CCG and various government
and industry agencies, as well as outlines the operational framework
through which a response would be conducted.
Ultimately, the responsibility for marine pollution preparedness and
response is shared between industry and the federal government. The CCG
is dedicated to doing its part to protect and preserve the marine
environment and its resources.
Training and Exercising
It is critical that the personnel responding to a marine oil spill
incident have the skills and knowledge necessary to perform effectively.
The specific training requirements for ER personnel are detailed in the
National Training Plan, the operational aspects of which are
implemented by all regions and detailed in their respective Regional
Response Plans. The CCG ER training program consists of several separate
courses as well as refresher training. The National Exercise Program is
implemented to validate environmental response preparedness. Exercises
are designed and conducted in coordination with clients, other federal
departments, provincial and territorial governments, energy boards, and
other interested stakeholders.
International Cooperation
As signatory to the International Convention on Oil Pollution
Preparedness, Response, and Cooperation, 1990 (OPRC 90), Canada provides
advisory services, technical support, and equipment for the purpose of
responding to a pollution incident outside of Canadian waters when
requested. The CCG, in conjunction with the appropriate federal
departments and agencies, administers these services. The CCG ER
headquarters, in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade, is responsible for the expeditious movement and
repatriation of Canadian resources.
In addition, CCG ER is responsible for the provision of the Canadian
coordination of Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plans with
neighbouring countries. At present, such plans have been signed with
both the United States and France, and are being negotiated with Denmark
and the Russian Federation.
Cost Recovery
In accordance with the Marine Liability Act, the owner of a ship is
strictly liable for oil pollution damage including reasonable costs for
clean-up, monitoring, preventative measures, and reinstatement measures.
This is referred to as the “polluter-pay principle.”
Three funds may assist in paying for oil pollution clean-up costs.
The Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund (SOPF) is Canada’s domestic fund and
is under an independent administration. It is liable for claims relating
to oil pollution damage, costs and expenses of oil spill clean-up, and
preventative measures and monitoring from all classes of vessels. In
addition, a widely defined class of persons in the Canadian fishing
industry may claim against the SOPF for loss of income caused by an oil
spill from a ship and not otherwise recoverable under the Marine
Liability Act.
The 1992 International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC Fund)
and the 1992 Civil Liability Convention (CLC) provide the international
liability and compensation regime for pollution damage resulting from
spills of persistent oil from tankers, whether carried on board as cargo
or in bunkers. Under the CLC regime the owners of a tanker are liable
to pay compensation up to a certain limit for oil pollution damage
following an escape of persistent oil from their ship. If that amount
does not cover all admissible claims, further compensation is available
from the IOPC Fund if the damage occurs in a contracting state. The IOPC
Fund is financed by levies paid by entities that receive certain types
of oil in the ports of contracting states.
For more information, please contact:
Manager, Environmental Response
Maritime Services
Canadian Coast Guard
5th Floor, Centennial Towers
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
KIA 0E6
Facsimile: (613) 996-8428
