Managing Oil Spill Risks of Transnational Onshore Pipelines

Abstract

The management of oil spill risks of large transnational onshore pipelines is a huge and demanding task but one that is not impossible as shown by the examples of the BTC and Trans-Alaskan pipelines. Their trans-boundary nature poses significant challenges in terms of positioning of the infrastructure, the supporting logistics and the deployment of resources to combat accidental oil spills. This paper looks at industry best practices and presents a methodology and framework for managing oil spill risks by distilling lessons from industry and using the experience of Oil Spill Responsein responding to inland oil spills from pipelines.