The Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI) is the Hazard Management Agency for marine oil pollution incidents and maritime transport emergencies in Western Australian waters.
DTMI, along with other State Government agencies and authorities, provide a range of personnel, resources, and services to prepare, respond to and recover from maritime environmental emergencies.
Report all maritime environmental emergencies immediately by calling 08 9480 9924.
Find out more about reporting maritime environmental emergencies.
Maritime Environmental Emergency Response team
DTMI’s Maritime Environmental Emergency Response (MEER) team works to:
- collaboratively build and maintain awareness of maritime environmental emergencies
- prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from maritime environmental emergencies.
The MEER team’s role includes:
- providing 24/7 on call support
- state marine pollution coordination
- maritime incident management and support
- nearshore and shoreline response
- facilitation of other agency support
- incorporation of National Plan support and alignment
- industry and other stakeholder plan consultation
- training and exercise facilitation
- hazard risk and capability management
- incident recovery management and support.
Incident Control Centre
The Incident Control Centre (ICC) is located at the DTMI Maritime Office and is equipped with a dedicated AV and IT system. The ICC can be quickly activated and expanded to respond to maritime environmental emergencies.
Maritime Incident Management Team
Our Maritime Incident Management Team (MIMT) is trained and ready to contribute to our Incident Management Team and support MEER.
State Response Team
The State Response Team (SRT) are trained and ready to facilitate and lead field-based response actions during an incident.
The SRT comprises of members from:
- DTMI
- Port Authorities
- The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
- The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
The main role of the SRT is to manage marine oil pollution incidents.
State Response Equipment
DTMI maintains stockpiles of incident appraisal equipment and oil spill response equipment, including response kits, general equipment and response supplies.
These stockpiles are positioned and designed to respond to an actual or impending Level 2/3 Maritime Environmental Emergency across WA at short notice.
Transcript
[Visual: Scanning the racks of orange storage bins in a MEER operations shed.]
[Backgound music: Job Interview by Kot Serhii]
[Text on screen: Brad Wilson MEER Operations Officer.]
[Visual: Brad talking to camera.]
Brad: So, where we are today and what this shed is for is to store all of our oil spill and ASMA's oil spill equipment. So, it's D Shed down at Fremantle.
[Visual: Oil spill response equipment including a mini skid steer loader and stacks of bulker bins]
Brad: AMSA [Australian Maritime Safety Authority], Department of Transport and the Fremantle Port Authority all have oil spill response equipment stockpiled here ready to be used whenever it's needed.
[Text on screen: Glen McDermott MEER Manager.]
[Visual: Glen McDermott talking to camera with cuts to the oil response equipment including the MEER equipment trailer.]
Glen: We actually have two stockpiles in WA, or two major stockpiles, they're in Fremantle here, and we also have one in Karratha.
The reason why they're positioned in those locations is, that they allow us coverage across the state but also, they are two areas where it's easy for us to logistically mobilise equipment.
[Visual: Brad talking to camera, before cutting to Glen and another officer walking through the operations shed inspecting equipment.]
Brad: Incidents can vary so they can be really, really minor, small incidents in a little small boat harbor that we'd respond to personally ourselves.
That can be something quite small as just some engine oil that's been leaked into the water or a diesel spill or something like that.
You know to the next level up where a vessel may have sunk or caught on fire and then we might need some other local resources to assist.
[Visual: Glen inspecting equipment and then talking to camera.]
Glen: Most of the equipment here has been used in one way shape or form.
You know, the kind of equipment that we see in these stockpiles is shoreline cleanup equipment, containment recovery equipment, so that is, skimmers and booms.
We also have the kind of equipment we need to manage an incident so that's communication systems.
[Visual: Panning the equipment, including the bulker bins and a forklift in operation, to Brad talking to camera and back to equipment focussing on a variety of trailer set ups.]
Brad: So, having all this equipment in this spot really enables us to know what's where, deploy it onto a truck and get it out to the site where we need to.
We've got a lot of trailer-ised equipment as well so we can bring that, the guys can come down to the one location in all their vehicles, hook up the trailers and we're out the door pretty much in you know as quick as we can be.
[Visual: Glen McDermott talking to camera finishing with the officers walking away in the shed.]
Glen: For somewhere like Fremantle, it just depends how far away the incident is as to how quickly we can mobilise.
Effectively, we can start mobilising from this location within half a day and then it would be dependent on where the incident’s occurring and how much equipment we need to move but we aim to be able to have a full suite of equipment for large incidents at an incident site within around 48 hours.
[Text on a blue screen: Government of Western Australia Department of Transport. Empowering a thriving community.]
End of transcript
Maritime Emergency Safety Management System
The Maritime Emergency Safety Management System (SMS) ensures the safety of personnel and responders who are conducting work in preparation for or during a maritime environmental emergency.
All personnel and responders (including permanent, contracted or volunteers) must adhere to the SMS.
There are 5 underpinning rules of safety in Maritime Environmental Emergency Response that reinforce the SMS framework:
- wear the right PPE (reference: SMS, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and Safe Work Practice (SWP)
- ensure personnel decontamination and first aid capacity
- check equipment is serviceable prior to deployment
- follow relevant Standard Operating Procedures, Safety Data Sheets and Safe Work Practices
- responders must be appropriately trained, certified, and qualified.
DTMI personnel who are responding to a maritime environmental emergency incident in support of another controlling agency or coordinating entity will:
- adhere to that organisation’s safety requirements, and
- apply the personal safety standards and controls as outlined in the SMS.
The SMS does not prevent others from also adhering to additional minimum personal safety standards and controls as required from their own agency or organisation.
Maritime Incident Management System
The Incident Management System (IMS) provides a method for the effective, efficient, coordinated and controlled management of a maritime environmental emergency.
The IMS is a hybrid application of the:
- Australasian Inter-service Incident Management System (AIIMS)
- Incident Command System (ICS).
The IMS also includes components that align to requirements outlined in the Emergency Management Framework in Western Australia and the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies in Australia.
National Plan Capability
Other capabilities are also available for the management of maritime environmental emergencies in WA through the National Plan arrangements, including:
- national response team
- national plan equipment
- fixed wing aerial dispersant capability
- emergency towage capability
- place or refuge arrangements
- environmental, scientific and technical network.
Find out more about the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies.
Oiled Wildlife Response
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) maintains a pool of trained oiled wildlife responders which can be supplemented by equivalent volunteer and industry capability where needed.
These responders use specialist oiled wildlife response equipment maintained by DTMI.
Find out more about DBCA's oiled wildlife response.
Environmental Liaison Group
The Environmental Liaison Group is headed by the Environmental Scientific Coordinator, which provides whole of government, expert environmental and scientific advice in maritime environmental emergencies.
The group includes nominated individuals from key State Government agencies responsible for environmental related legislation and management in WA.