Guyana has several pathways for assistance on oil spills – AG

…identifies areas in which improvements can be made to framework

Guyana has taken steps to set up various avenues to receive support in the unfortunate event of an oil spill, according to a special audit that was conducted by Auditor General Deodat Sharma, but certain regulatory and operational gaps in Guyana’s own ability to respond to oil spills remain.
In his Performance Audit of Guyana’s Preparedness for Marine Oil Spills, the Auditor General noted the various agreements that Guyana has signed onto. Guyana can call on support from various regional agencies.

For instance, there is the agreement that Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago signed on September 19, 2018, for the development of the energy and energy-related sectors. The Auditor General pointed out that the agreement caters for cooperation between the two countries in the development of policies, plans and protocols relating to health, safety and the environment.
In addition, Guyana is a member of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which is a regional inter-governmental agency for disaster management in the Caribbean Community.
“Under the CDEMA framework, Guyana can receive external response support from the other eighteen Participating States (PSs), and national, regional and international disaster stakeholders,” the AG said.
“Support that can be provided includes technical assistance, specialised equipment, support personnel and information sharing. Also, personnel from key agencies in Guyana participated in oil spill response exercises with neighbouring countries.”
According to the AG, the Government has taken the necessary steps to receive assistance from countries in preparing for and responding to oil spill incidents. The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) along with relevant stakeholders have collaborated with other countries for oil spill response training and exercises.
Meanwhile, the Auditor General noted that while the National Preparedness and Response System is in place for a safe, effective and efficient response to oil spills, there are regulatory, operational, and resourcing gaps that were identified.
“Specifically, a comprehensive review and gap analysis of the existing legal and regulatory framework to ensure the requirements for spill response preparedness was partially completed,” the AG wrote.
“We also found that the update of Guyana’s legal framework to ensure alignment with agreements signed was not completed. In addition, draft regulations for environmental protection & pollution control from petroleum activities offshore were not finalised.”
In December 2019, Guyana officially became an oil-producing nation, which presented new challenges like the possibility of oil spills and other disasters. Fortunately, Guyana has not been on the receiving end of any oil spill.
The National Oil Spill Contingency Plan for Guyana was handed over to Government back in October 2020, after key input from a series of stakeholders, adding a layer of disaster preparedness for the country.
Work on the finished plan was months in the making and involved the input of many key stakeholders including the Maritime Administrative Department (MARAD), Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the CDC. (G3)