The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Pius Rugonzibwa
21 May 2008
A national plan to prevent and contain massive pollution resulting from oil spills is underway, authorities have said.
The Surface and Marines Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra) said yesterday stakeholders were working on the strategies that would among other things consider ways of effectively responding to oil spills.
Speaking during a workshop on the proposed 'National Marine Oil Spill Contingent Plan' (NOSCP), Sumatra director general Israel Sekirasa said the national plan would provide a comprehensive system of accident reporting, spill containment and clean- up.
It would also see the establishment of a response headquarters, a national reaction team and regional reaction teams, especially for lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa.
Tanzania has a coastline that extends for approximately 1,000 kilometres with diverse ecosystems.
But the country's coastal wetlands have for a long time now remained vulnerable to environmental pollution resulting from mostly oil spills from the increasing shipping along the coastlines.
A planned petroleum exploration offshore, stakeholders have said, would also pose a serious threat to the ecosystem.
The situation has been worsened by the apparent lack of requisite strategies and plans to adequately handle oil spills.
Marine stakeholders have in the past cited the unavailability of equipment and well-trained responders as major problems affecting efforts to avert the crisis.
As a result, the more than 60 participants who attended yesterday's meeting agreed that there was need for an effective national contingency plan that draws in the expertise of relevant stakeholders.
An International Maritime Organisation official, Mr John Muindi, said pollution would continue to be a serious consequence of maritime transport.
"But we believe in cleaner seas, safe shipping; and through closely working together, we can still reduce the risks
Ships need to have well trained crew to effectively deal with accidents that could lead to pollution," said Mr Muindi.
He said the 'Safety of Life at Sea Convention' had been accepted by more than 145 parties, whose combined merchant fleets represents 98.5 per cent of world tonnage.
About 117 countries, whose fleets represent 95.9 per cent of world tonnage, were also said to have accepted the convention.
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