Oil spill drill to shut down beaches in Oman

Muscat: Shatti Al Qurum Beach, Mina Al Fahal Port and Mina Al Fahal Island will be closed due to the National Oil Spill Exercise being conducted by the PDO and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, starting on Tuesday.
The drill, Nawras 2017, will be carried out in five different locations today and tomorrow. These locations are the Pollution Operations Control Centre, Al Ghubra Desalination Plant, the Marine pollution control operations and the beaches listed above.
This drill will lead to the formulation of an emergency plan for combating oil pollution, and will require all relevant authorities to be on standby in case of an oil spill emergency. The exercise will measure the extent of cooperation extended by authorities as well as the response time.
Shatti Al Qurum Beach was chosen to carry out this exercise as it is an environmentally sensitive area with many coastal resources.
The area is visited by many residents and citizens. The geographical location of Mina Al Fahal, the desalination plant and the power generation facility in that area requires that in case of any exigency, the response must be very swift.
Large amounts of fish oil will be poured into the ocean for the purpose of testing the response of the Royal Air Force’s aircraft. It is equipped with modern techniques to monitor the oily contaminants in the marine environment.
Rubber barriers will be placed to contain the slick and prevent it from spreading. The Omani Royal Air Force will use aerial planes to carry out a spraying exercise as part of the operation.
Thirteen different government entities have come together for Nawras 2017. These are: the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Ministry of Oil and Gas, the Ministry of Health, the Public Authority for Electricity and Water, the Muscat Municipality, the National Committee for Civil Defence, the Royal Oman Police (Operations, Coast Guard), the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance, the Royal Oman Air Force, the Royal Navy of Oman and Port Sultan Qaboos.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs has sought the co-operation of the public and apologised in advance for any inconvenience caused due to the exercise.
Locations will be closed to the public between 8am and 4pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.