Marine (SOPEP) Oil Spill Response Kits – Regulation 37 of MARPOL Annex I requires that oil tankers of 150 gross tonnage and above carry an approved Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP). As part of this contingency planning, vessels under 400′ require a 12 barrel (1900 Litre) marine spill kit. These marine spill kits contain a variety of oil only absorbents and PPE for addressing shipboard emergency spills.
Australia is known for its beautiful marine environment. Our natural history encompasses the Great Barrier Reef and 12 Apostles along with the shorelines around the ensure country. Due to this marine beauty, Australia has some of the strictest laws around marine safety and the fines that come along with marine spills can be steep.
This is where Spill Station comes in, we provide high-quality spill kits to help prevent marine damage from taking a toll on the local environment. Our spill kits are always made to deal with the worst of spills in a straightforward manner.
Unlike chemical spill kits or regular fuel spill kits, this kit is made primarily for use on the water. These spill kits are designed for fuel, oil, cooking oil, petroleum spill and other hazards in a marine setting. Some of the industries that use marine spill kits include portside workplaces, private yachts with cooking services, and even pondside cooking, essentially on ships, shorelines, riverbanks and jetties. These spill kits are designed for hydrocarbon cleanup on any body of water, including dams, ponds, harbours, rivers and the sea.
Australian Regulations
In Australia, oil spills that occur in a workplace are the responsibility of the business and a part of their due diligence as per the Australian Standards. Under this standard, all Australian businesses are required to take every reasonable step to prevent oil spills and have all the equipment and training on hand to clean spills If they occur.
If an injury, property damage or significant environmental damage occurs due to workplace behaviour, the incident may go all the way to court, or result in hefty fines.
In order to satisfy the Australian regulation, and show due diligence you must do the following:
- Understand the risk associated with the materials the business utilises.
- Place spill kits at appropriate places according to the risks.
- Have appropriate training for all relevant employees as to utilising the marine spill kit.
- Ensure the spill kit is re-stocked and audited as necessary.
To remain compliant, the spill kits, from Hazchem spill kits all the way to marine spill kits, all need to place in the appropriate place, for example, if you are cooking with a large amount of oil in the water, an oil spill kit should be right wear the oil is both contained and used.
A Spill Station Marine Kit Contains:
Any oil spill kit, and by extension any marine spill kit must be colour coded and in a container that is clearly signed and in a well-lit area.
In order to satisfy Australian regulations, these spill kits typically contain:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for protecting the person who cleans the spill.
- Waste disposable bags for disposing of the oil absorbents and cleaning equipment.
- Containment booms that will stop the spread of oil.
- Absorbents to soak up the oil.
This is a general list as other equipment may be required depending on the industry and business as well as possible applications. Some of these add-ons are dispersants and spill containers.
In more specific terms, our marine spill kits are often used in marinas, fuel filling areas, fuel delivery spaces, boat yards and seaports as well as oil rigs and the like.
Our Spill Kits have the following features:
- They are contained in portable polyethylene wheelie bins.
- Are designed to be visible in a workplace.
- Can absorb up to 190 litres of oil, fuels and other solvents in water.
- Contains a floating boom to help contain spills.
- Has a wall locator sticker for easy identification.
- Colour-coded containment for easy identification.
- Contains a laminated instruction sheet.
- Can come with tamper-evident seals at no extra cost.
Contact Spill Station for an audit
Spill Station offers expert audits if you need help auditing your workplace for safety.
This audit encompasses marine, fuel, laboratory and chemical spill kits in Australia.
We can inspect your business facilities and assess the potential for spills that could occur. We can also help identify areas of hazard where spill response devices can be implemented later.
These audits are both environmental and employee safety based and will help you remain compliant with Australian regulations for workplace oil spills, especially considering the marine settings as well as the possibility of fines.