MARINE Maritime Incident Research and Innovation Network

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MARINEMaritime Incident Research and Innovation
Network

• Maritime Response- The Irish Scene
• University of Limerick, Ireland

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Overview

• National Emergency Planning Coordination
• Maritime Emergency Response
• Emergency Response in Irish Ports

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National Emergency Planning Coordination

• Two Government structures are in place to support
  emergency planning and to improve coordination
  across existing national emergency plans
• Government Task Force on Emergency Planning
• (Chaired by the Minister for Defence)
• Inter-Departmental Working Groupon Emergency
  Planning
• (Chaired by the Office of Emergency Planning)

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National Emergency Planning Coordination

• Government Task Force on Emergency Planning
• comprises Ministers and/or senior officials of
  Government Departments and public authorities.
• Functions
• To provide active political leadership of the
  emergency planning process
• To facilitate contact and coordination between
  Government Departments and other public
  authorities
• To oversee all emergency planning

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National Emergency Planning Coordination

• Inter-Departmental Working Group on Emergency
  Planning
• comprises officials representing Government
  Departments and public authorities with lead or
  principal support roles in Government emergency
  plans.
• Function to provide support for the policy
  initiatives of the Minister for Defence as chair
  of the Government Task Force
• Office of Emergency Planning
• established within the Department of Defence,
  supports the Minister for Defence as Chairman of
  the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning.
• office chairs the Inter-Departmental Working
  Group on Emergency Planning.

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National Emergency Planning Coordination

• Government Information Service (GIS)
• plays a key role in preparing and projecting the
  Governments message on emergency management and
  response issues.
• Emergency Planning Media Unit
• chaired by the GIS
• promotes and coordinates this work.
• National Security Committee
• Function advises the Taoiseach and the
  Government on high-level security matters.
• comprises senior representatives of the
  Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of
  Justice, Equality and Law Reform, An Garda
  Síochána (Irish police), the Department of
  Defence, the Defence Forces, and the Department
  of Foreign Affairs.

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Strategic Structures for Emergency Planning

Government (An Taoiseach The Cabinet)
Logistically supported by the GovernmentSecretari
at, Department of An Taoiseachand by the lead
Government Department in respect of policy
Available as a high level resource to advise on
emergency planning which has a security dimension
National Security Committee
Minister for Defence (Policy Direction)
Chaired by the Minister for Defence
Government Task Force on Emergency Planning
Office of Emergency Planning (Coordination
Oversight)
Emergency Planning Media Unit (GIS)
Inter-Departmental Working Group on Emergency
Planning
Chaired by the Office of Emergency Planning
Lead and Principal Support Departments and
certain public authorities
Departmental Press and Information Officers
Departmental / Inter-Departmental Structures and
Expert Committees
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Strategic Structures Linkages

The Taoiseach
Logistically supported by the Government
Secretariat, Department of the Taoiseach and by
the lead Government Department in respect of
policy.
The Cabinet
Briefings Government Decisions
Cabinet Committee
Chaired by the Lead Minister
Strategic Political Direction
Briefings Expert Advice
The Inter-Departmental Committee
Government Emergency Plans
Lead Government Department
Support Departments and other Public Authorities
Departmental Emergency Structures and Expert
Committees
Local and Regional Emergency Plans
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National Emergency Planning Coordination

• Emergency Plans are coordinated at local,
  regional and national levels by the various lead
  Government Departments to cater for a wide
  variety of situations
• Government Departments with Lead roles in respect
  of the Framework for Coordinated Response to
  Major Emergency are
• Dep of the Environment, Heritage and Local
  Government
• Dep of Health and Children
• Dep of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
• The Department Transport Marine has the lead
  role for dealing with
• Major Oil Spillages from Vessels and all aspects
  of harmful substance pollution of the sea and
  coastal areas
• all aspects of Search and Rescue (SAR) at sea
• (before 2006 this role was performed by the Dep
  Communications, Marine Natural Resources)

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Maritime Emergency Response

• The Department Transport Marine has
  responsibility for the Maritime Safety
  Directorate (MSD) and the Irish Coast Guard
  (IRCG)
• Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES) is the
  Division/Service of the Department of the Marine
  and Natural Resources responsible for
• search and rescue (SAR),
• intervention in shipwreck casualty
• response to pollution at sea.
• IMES provides commercial marine communications
  and maintains 50 coastal rescue stations manned
  by volunteers available to respond to marine
  emergencies.

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Maritime Emergency Response

• Maritime Safety Directive (MSD)
• Marine Survey Office (MSO) and Marine Radio
  Affairs Unit (MRAU)
• Marine Safety and Environment Division.
• Irish Coast Guard IRCG
• Search and Rescue
• Pollution and Salvage response in the marine
  environment
• Marine communications network
• Marine safety awareness.

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Maritime Emergency Response

• Irish Marine Search and Rescue Region (IMSRR)

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Maritime Emergency Response

• The Irish Coast Guard is responsible for
  co-ordinating the response to marine incidents
  outside port limits, except in case of search and
  rescue, when all marine areas, including ports,
  are within its remit.

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Maritime Emergency Response

• Irish Naval Service
• Royal National Irish Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
• Volunteer organisation registered charity
• operates around the coast of the island of
  Ireland.
• currently has 44 lifeboats stationed at 39
  different harbours in Ireland.

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Emergency Response in Irish Ports

• The Irish Coast Guard is not responsible for
  co-ordinating the response to marine incidents
  inside port limits, except in case of search and
  rescue.
• The Ports, the Harbours Act, 1996, places
  responsibility on the Harbour Master for the
  safety of shipping and all activities within the
  defined port limits.

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Emergency Response in Irish Ports
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Emergency Response in Irish Ports

• Each port has an emergency plan to deal with
  incidents e.g. oil pollution incidents
• Emergency plans are designed to deal with
  incidents, in the first place using the ports
  own resources
• Responsibility for implementing the plan rests
  with the Harbour Master
• Where necessary, the Harbour Master will request
  the assistance of the principal emergency
  services in making a response.
• Where appropriate, a major emergency may be
  declared by the principal response agencies.

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Emergency Response in Irish Ports

• Local port Authority Shannon Foynes Port Company
• Responsibilities
• Advice to Leisure Craft 
• Pilotage 
• Towage 
• Pollution Control 
• Emergency Control 
• Waste Management 
• BLU Code 
• Port Marine Safety Code 
• Port Byelaws

Website www.sfpc.ie
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Comments

• Complex Emergency Planning structure in Place for
  non SAR incidents.
• Need for fast response in SAR operations and
  experience in this regard has lead to streamlined
  organization.
• Existing national planning for Marine pollution
  and environmental incident prevention and
  response are designed to comply with relevant EU
  directives
• true effectiveness of Irish Emergency plans is
  difficult to assess.

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Sources of Information

• Department of Defence, Strategic Emergency
  Planning Guidance, (2004)
• Irish Government, A framework for major emergency
  management, (2005)
• Department of Transport, Annual report, (2006)
• Irish Government, Irish Response to the EU
  Maritime Green Paper, (2007)