Archived decisions

Contact: Alison Crang, tel 01489 576387 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report summarises the activities and events relating to the environment of the River from May 2007.

2. Recommendation

2.1 That this report be noted by the River Hamble Harbour Management Committee and submitted to the River Hamble Harbour Board for its consideration and approval.

3. River Hamble Harbour Oil Spill Contingency Plan

3.1 This plan is a statutory requirement under the Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998, SI 1056 and is the responsibility of the RHHA for the River Hamble. Its purpose is to set in motion the necessary actions required by the Harbour Authority and other organisations to stop or minimise an oil discharge and to mitigate its effects. This plan has just undergone a 5-yearly review in line with the Regulations, and was approved by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in July 2007 and is now valid until July 2012.

3.2 The AHM(E) attended the Oil Spill Management Course in July to enable effective reviewing of the Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP), planning of an exercise and ability to respond appropriately in an actual incident. The Harbour Master has also been trained to the management level, with the majority of RHHA staff being trained to incident response level.

3.3 The Regulations require the plan to be tested via practical and table-top exercises. An exercise was held on 24 September at the Harbour Master's Office, Warsash. The purpose of the exercise was to test the OSCP, ensure that RHHA staff are familiar with the plan, and to test the response of RHHA's oil spill response contractors. An oil boom was successfully deployed across 250 metres of the Hamble near the entrance despite challenging tidal and weather conditions. This was the first boom deployment since the construction of the Fishermen's jetty. A table-top exercise was also conducted during which RHHA staff were responsible for full management of a theoretical oil spill including the response to unknown injects and the formation of an oil spill management team which also comprised HCC Emergency Planning Department, local police and the Environment Agency.

3.4 During the day presentations were given to a variety of invited guests which included members of the Management Committee, Harbour Board, local residents/business and other Agencies. This was a valuable opportunity to explain the existence of the plan, to reassure stakeholders of the RHHA's ability to respond to an incident and also improve communications with other organisations who would have additional roles in a real incident.

3.5 The exercise was highly successful with positive feedback. A press statement was released the end of the day.

3.6 Notices have been put up at all fuelling berths on the River to remind skippers to monitor their activities when refuelling (to prevent fuel spills) and of their responsibilities to the environment.

4. Environmental Groups on the River Hamble

4.1 A meeting of the Hamble Estuary Partnership (HEP) will be held in November. The Estuary Management Plan is due for review in 2008 and will require significant input from the RHHA.

4.2 There have been a number of recent staff changes from other agencies and authorities who have responsibilities covering the River and so a meeting was held with all relevant environmental/biodiversity officers to improve working relationships and discuss current environmental issues on the River. The meeting was a success and the benefits of improved relations have been evident throughout discussions surrounding consent applications.

5. Waste Management

5.1 The Port Waste Management Plan for the River Hamble is the responsibility of the RHHA. This plan is currently undergoing its 3 yearly review in line with the Merchant Shipping (Port Waste Reception facilities) Regulations 2003, on completion of which it will be submitted to the MCA for approval.

5.2 A new sewage pump-out station was installed earlier this year as part of the refit of the new Harbour Master's Jetty at Warsash.

6. Student Placements

6.1 Two students studying for a degree in Coastal & Environmental Management at Bournemouth University were accepted by the Harbour office for a 6 week placement during the summer. Both Students not only gained a valuable insight into all aspects of running a harbour office, but also assisted staff with various tasks including moorings management and environmental site appraisals.

7. Impact Assessments

7.1 This report provides a position statement only, therefore an impact assessment, in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, has not been undertaken.