The year 2008 came to a close on a relatively calm note in terms of accidental water pollution. A vessel transporting Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) posed a few problems in the Casquets area (Channel). A fire broke out in the engine room and, before an assessment team was airlifted onboard, Cedre was asked to provide information on the risks related to the cargo if it were to go on fire. We activated the INERIS emergency response unit, CASU, to assist the maritime authorities in this respect (risks caused by any possible fumes and vapours). After a few hours, the fire was under control and the vessel diverted towards Le Havre under supervision. We also contributed to the treatment of a domestic fuel oil spill in a port in the area of Yvelines and a spill of 1500 litres of domestic fuel oil in a private home.

During the month of December, working meetings were held between Cedre and the services of the Préfecture maritime for the Channel and the North Sea, on the 10th, and the Préfecture maritime for the Atlantic, on the 16th. These meetings with the authorities in charge of response to marine pollution gave rise to productive exchanges on topics of common interest such as the listing of potentially dangerous wrecks and the development of geographic information systems to improve the efficiency of response efforts at sea. The opportunity was taken to review current and future actions and exercises. CEPPOL (Centre d'expertises pratiques de lutte antipollution), a unit of the French navy in charge of coordinating pollution response, also participated in these meetings, which are essential for effective sharing of information between those involved in pollution response at national level.

A French decree published on 29 November announced the dissolution of the Institut français de l'environnement (IFEN) which became the Service de l'Observation et des Statistiques (SOeS) under the authority of the Commissariat Général au Développement Durable (CGDD of the Ministry of Ecology), alongside two other departments: the Service de l'économie, de l'évaluation et de l'intégration du développement durable (SEEIDD) and the Direction de la recherche et de l'innovation.

On 18 December, two members of the Contingency Planning Department visited the Total refinery in Normandy in order to present and hand over the final version of the pollution response contingency plan drawn up between July and December 2008. In order to promote synergy between the refinery and local stakeholders liable to be involved in the management of response operations following an oil spill, a meeting will be organised in January to present this plan to the administrations and authorities.

The NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC) organised a symposium on security, maritime safety and environmental protection in the framework of the Mediterranean dialogue and of the Istanbul cooperation initiatives of the Alliance. This event was held at NURC in La Spezia (Italy) from 2 to 4 December and gathered together several partner countries of the Alliance. Cedre's participation concerned the theme of environmental protection, alongside that of the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale - ISPRA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The presentation given by Cedre focused on the French response organisation and Cedre's role within this organisation.

The 4th meeting of the CleanSeaNet satellite service user group was held on 2 December in Lisbon. The French delegation led by the Directorate of Maritime Affairs, in which an expert from Cedre participated, presented the initial results of the use of this service in France. Furthermore, a workshop designed to integrated the specificities of the Mediterranean into the CSN service took place with the participation of the European Mediterranean coastal States. Three experts, including one from Cedre, led this workshop.

The Antilles pollution contingency plan, updated in 2004 and improved thereafter through the lessons learnt from the exercises MOBEX, Polmar 2005 in Martinique, and Polmar Mer et Terre 2006 in Guadeloupe, was tested for the first time in the northern islands, near Saint Barthelemy, on 27 November. Major nautical and aerial means were deployed with the participation of the Netherlands Antilles Coast Guard and the Netherlands Antilles oil industry. Cedre's Caribbean delegate participated in this event as an observer and technical adviser for the Navy and the Antilles maritime authorities. This exercise is an excellent example of government-industry cooperation, bilateral cooperation (French West Indies - Netherlands Antilles) and international cooperation.

Two members of the Training Department led two practical training sessions in Mahajanga (Madagascar) from 8 to 12 then from 15 to 19 December. Forty participants from the oil companies "Logistique Pétrolière" and "Galana" took part in these courses. The training focused on the contingency plan established by Cedre in 2007 as well as the deployment of the equipment available in these companies' stockpiles.

A French conference on the question of ports facing a growing number of giant ships showed that, on top of the 17 container ships of over 10,000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units), there are currently 194 such ships on order. Imagine simply examining the list of merchandise onboard such vessels for pollution risk assessment in the event of an accident.

New "Crisis communication" training course from 4 to 6 February 2009

Places are still available on this training course designed for operational personnel who are not communication professionals and are liable to be confronted with the media in the field. Participants will have the opportunity to meet the different actors involved in communication in the event of a spill. Throughout this three-day course, exercises such as writing press releases and conducting radio and television interviews will enable participants to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired on the course. Contact: Arnaud Guéna.