Preparing for an oil spill

The Canadian legal framework sets the standards for:

• the number of crew required on a ship;
• spill response training;
• how a ship is built; and
• the type of response equipment that must be onboard a ship.

The Canada Shipping Act, 2001 regulates the required number of crew members aboard a ship, spill response training for the crew, ship construction standards, and onboard response equipment.

• Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act
• Ballast Water Control and Management Regulations
• Canada Shipping Act, 2001 
• Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
• Classed Ships Inspection Regulations, 1988
• Collision Regulations
• Crew Accommodation Regulations
• Dangerous Chemicals and Noxious Liquid Substances Regulations
• Environmental Response Regulations
• Fire and Boat Drills Regulations
• Fisheries Act
• Hull Construction Regulations
• Hull Inspection Regulations
• Life Saving Equipment Regulations
• Marine Liability Act
• Marine Personnel Regulations
• Migratory Bird Convention Act, 1994
• Navigation Safety Regulations
• Oceans Act
• Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations
• Oil Tanker Double Hull Construction Standards
• Pollutant Discharge Reporting Regulations
• Response Organizations Regulations
• Species At Risk Act
• Steering Appliances and Equipment Regulations
• The Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act
• Vessel Pollution and Dangerous Chemicals Regulations
• Vessel Registration and Tonnage Regulations
• VHF Radiotelephone Practices and Procedures Regulations
• Wildlife Area Regulations
• Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act

Since many oil tankers are owned by companies outside of Canada, it is important that Canada's rules are consistent with those of international authorities, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO). These include:

• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)
• Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea
• International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW)
• International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
• International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC 90)
• International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage

Canada also participates in joint activities with the United States to establish a coordinated measure of preparedness and response through a formal Canada-US Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan (PDF, 1.18 MB).

The Canadian Coast Guard's National Training Program is designed to provide responders with the necessary skills and knowledge to respond safely and effectively to a marine pollution incident.

The Canadian Coast Guard College plays a vital role in training by coordinating and supporting course development and delivery, in conjunction with the Canadian Coast Guard regions.   

Each Canadian Coast Guard region is responsible for delivering the training program and helping to keep the curriculum current and relevant. The program includes courses in oil spill response, managing a response and operations, and incident command.

Like training, simulation exercises are an essential part of spill preparation and preparedness. These are realistic simulations of various types of marine pollution incidents and can range from a simple alerting exercise to a full-scale deployment of personnel and equipment.
The Canadian Coast Guard conducts exercises in accordance with its National Exercise Program, which is a set of guiding principles and planning tools that have been developed to help achieve maximum benefit from marine spill response exercises.

The Government of Canada has access to a wide range of tools and techniques that are shared with dedicated oil spill response organizations. We are also researching and developing new ways to respond to oil spills.

Environment and Climate Change Canada's Meteorological Service provides marine weather warnings and forecasts in Canadian waters of the North Atlantic, North Pacific, Labrador Sea, Great Lakes, across the Arctic, and for the larger navigable lakes. Using accurate and up-to-date weather information, mariners can make informed decisions and keep their ship and crew safe. The service can provide site specific weather forecast at any time to support emergencies and environmental response.

Marine weather forecast information comprises:

• Warnings for winds (gales and stronger), freezing spray, hurricanes, and dangerous sea ice conditions
• Forecasts out to five days focused on winds, visibility, wave heights, and significant weather

Three satellites help us monitor:

• foreign ships;
• sea ice and icebergs;
• floods and oil spills; and
• changes in the Earth's surface that could put infrastructure at risk.

RADARSAT Constellation Mission, a trio of Earth observation satellites, was launched in June 2019 and is used by more than 12 government departments to deliver important information to Canadians in three main areas: maritime surveillance, disaster management, and ecosystem monitoring. These satellites monitor foreign ships, sea ice in the North, changes in the Earth's surface that could put infrastructure at risk, floods, and oil spills.  
The Integrated Satellite Tracking of Pollution (ISTOP) program uses a variety of satellite imagery to monitor the waters and improve the response to the pollution. The ISTOP program is an important tool in encouraging compliance with Canada's laws and International Conventions that seek to minimize oil pollution, and minimize impacts on the economic prosperity of Canadians as well as marine birds, mammals, and the ecosystems on which they depend. 

The Regional Response Planning (RRP) pilot project—part of Canada's Oceans Protection Plan—built on the lessons learned from the Area Response Planning pilot project. Area Response Planning identified how to improve preparedness and response measures for oil spills from ships. Area Response Plans were developed to allow flexibility for regional differences in geography and levels of risks in four areas across Canada:

• Southern British Columbia (BC);
• The St. Lawrence (QC);
• Port Hawkesbury (NS); and
• The Bay of Fundy (NB).

Results from the RRP pilot project help to inform the development of a national marine incident response approach that reflects Canada's diverse geographic and environmental conditions.

In addition to the work outlined above, the Government of Canada has established programs to enhance marine safety and prevent oil spills along the West Coast. This includes measures under the Oceans Protection Plan and accommodation measures developed for the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project (TMX). These measures include:

• The Enhanced Maritime Situational Awareness Program provides Indigenous communities with near real-time information on maritime activity and weather data in local waters.
• The Marine Safety Equipment and Training Initiative which provides funding for equipment and training to Indigenous communities to improve vessel safety along the marine shipping route.
• The Multi-Partner Research Initiative which fosters an integrated, global research network with government agencies, academia, response organizations, oil industry, Indigenous communities and other oil spill science and response experts.
• The Co-Developing Community Response initiative that seeks to address Indigenous groups’ concerns about the risks of increased project-related tanker traffic to marine activities, the environment, and culturally important and sacred sites in their traditional territories.

Shipowners are legally required, under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, to have a spill response and contingency plan that shows they can respond to marine pollution of up to 10,000 tonnes of oil within a certain timeframe and conditions. In many cases, shipowners will hire a response organization to manage any incident, when needed. Facilities and vessels located north of latitude 60° N are not required to have an arrangement with a response organization.

Shipowners must have a Ship Oil Pollution Emergency Plan for every ship according to international MARPOL standards. This plan includes required equipment, trained personnel, lines of communication, and updated nautical charts and passage plans. Some onshore oil loading and receiving facilities are also required to have similar on-site plans.

Shipowners must participate in oil spill response exercises with onshore oil loading and receiving facilities, response organizations, and governments to verify the effectiveness of its procedures, equipment, and resources identified in its response plans.

The Arctic Council is a high-level forum that provides cooperation, coordination, and interaction between Arctic states, Indigenous Peoples, and other Arctic residents. The Arctic Council has a number of working groups that address different environmental challenges in the Arctic region, including the Emergency Prevention Preparedness and Response (EPPR) Working Group. The EPPR develops tools and shares best practices to prevent and effectively respond to pollution emergencies and other emergencies, like wildfires. In the Arctic, accidents associated with the production, storage, transportation, and use of oil, nuclear materials, and other hazardous chemicals or materials can be more difficult to respond to due to the climate and remoteness of many communities. Canada works closely with other Arctic Nations to share knowledge and provide mutual assistance through the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic (MOSPA Agreement).

The Government of Canada and the oil transportation industry practice joint emergency exercises with other nations to ensure their response operations are efficient. For example, Canada has five area plans with the U.S., and each plan must be exercised regularly to ensure emergency preparedness as part of the Canada-US Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan (PDF, 1.18 MB).