U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam Contingency Planner John Bray held yesterday a briefing with representatives of different local government agencies like the Emergency Management Office, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., the Department of Public Safety, the Coastal Resources Management Office, among others, including those from the private sector, in preparation for the Sept. 16 major oil spill scenario.
Bray said no equipment will actually be deployed to Saipan but rather the stakeholders will hold what the military termed as “tabletop exercise” whereby they will discuss and plan on the table how to address an oil spill.
Although there’s no oil production in the Northern Marianas or nearby islands, authorities said an oil spill could still occur through passing ships or other sources.
“There won’t be an actual equipment deployment. It won’t actually be held on the beach or on the water — it’s what we call a tabletop exercise which is a discussion-based exercise. That will actually happen in an administrative environment much like what we have today. There will be players sitting on the table and discussing response plans,” Bray told the Variety.
The long-term plan is to hold a simulated major oil spill scenario in 2012 in the Northern Marianas, in time to go along with the national response program.
Bray said the exercise is very useful for small island communities like Saipan which rely heavily on the Pacific Ocean for its tourism-based economy.
Paul Plunkett, the Coast Guard contingency planner for Saipan, said the CNMI’s distance to Guam, which has military facilities, makes it really important to prepare for any eventualities.
“This is critical. We have limited resources and we’re distant. Our main resources are in Guam,” he said.
The Sept. 16 tabletop exercise will involve about 20 different government agencies.
“It’s Coast Guard-led but it’s multi-agency. We have probably 20 different agencies involved, all with response capabilities and interest,” said Plunkett.
But despite the CNMI’s limited resources, the two Coast Guard officials believe the island-chain is ready for any disaster.
“We are most definitely ready. The CNMI has a robust response community,” said Bray. “In the event of a spill, we would be able to respond to it immediately.”
