BSR organizes emergency response drills at product export port

The drill was organized at the grassroots level, following a complex and highly realistic hypothetical situation: an unidentified strange ship was detected about 1 km from the port area, drifting towards the direct approach to product export terminals 1 and 2. At the same time, at terminal 2, DO oil product export activities were taking place for a 30,000-ton oil tanker.

During the process of opening and closing the valve between the ship and the port system, due to lack of rhythm and poor coordination, some pipe flanges on the ship cracked, causing DO oil to spill onto the deck and into the sea, with an estimated volume of about 3 tons.

While the forces were responding to the oil spill, a sudden static electricity buildup caused a small fire in the bow area of the ship, with a burning area of about 5 square meters.

The hypothetical situation is a typical scenario in the prevention and handling of complex incidents in the port area - where there is a high density of import and export activities, many pressure equipment and a high potential risk of fire, explosion and oil spill.

This exercise not only tested the on-site emergency response capabilities of the BSR team, but also practiced with the system of equipment, vehicles, and inter-sectoral coordination mechanisms in real situations. The goal was to effectively control the incident within the “golden 5 minutes”, ensuring that damage was minimized and the incident was prevented from spreading to the sea area and the product export system.

The exercise involved the coordination of many functional units and strategic partners. Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority and Dung Quat Border Guard Station participated in the role of managing maritime routes and ensuring security in the sea area, supporting BSR in handling emergency situations related to drifting strange ships, controlling the flow of traffic and blocking the scene if necessary.

In addition, Petrolimex Waterway Petroleum Transport Joint Stock Company (PJTACO) also participated in the exercise, acting as the vehicle operator in the hypothetical situation.

With careful preparation, coordination between forces was carried out methodically, quickly and effectively. When a strange ship was detected drifting, the port surveillance and coordination system immediately activated the warning, deployed forces to block and organize firefighting of the strange ship, and towed the strange ship to a safe location.

At the same time, when an oil spill occurred, the on-site response force quickly mobilized booms, oil collection equipment and isolated the spill area. The fire situation on the deck was also controlled promptly thanks to the participation of the specialized fire fighting team and the fixed fire fighting system at the port. When the hypothetical situation was an oil spill into the sea at berths 3 & 4; the coordinated forces performed smoothly, in accordance with procedures and ensured absolute safety for people, ships and goods throughout the exercise.

Speaking at the experience sharing meeting, Mr. Mai Tuan Dat - Deputy General Director of BSR emphasized: The drill is not only a mandatory content according to the law, but also a practical commitment of the company in maintaining the level of readiness to respond to all emergency situations at the port area - which plays a particularly important role in the petroleum product supply chain.

This is also an opportunity for BSR to review, adjust and improve the quality of response plans, while strengthening coordination with local authorities in the fields of maritime safety, port security and environmental protection. Throughout its operations, incident prevention and response have always been a top priority for BSR, closely linked to its sustainable development strategy, responsibility to the community and the marine environment.

During more than 15 years of operation, BSR has always maintained the criteria of safe operation, without any serious work accidents or significant environmental incidents. Drills like this one are part of the company's overall risk management system, ensuring not only production and business efficiency but also preserving brand reputation, protecting the environment and human safety.

In the context of climate change, increasing ship density and increasingly deep integration trends, proactively practicing, responding and strengthening rapid response capacity are prerequisites for energy enterprises like BSR to develop stably and sustainably.