Maritime New Zealand maintains a nation-wide oil spill response team who are trained and equipped to respond to marine oil spills at regional and national level.
Training course overview
Course options, dates, prerequisites and fees
More about course fees
Training exercises
Training guide - how to respond to an oil spill incident
Training calculators and videos
Course registration and contact person
Maritime New Zealand is responsible for providing training for people who are involved in marine oil spill response at both the regional (tier 2) and national (tier 3) levels. The oil industry is responsible for providing appropriate training for on-site (tier 1) response personnel.
Maritime New Zealand’s marine oil spill response training courses are primarily designed for members of the regional and national response teams. Personnel who are integral to those teams are required to attend the relevant Maritime New Zealand spill response course(s), or an approved alternative. Response team members are required to maintain their response qualifications and this is normally achieved by regular attendance on exercises and revalidation of the appropriate course qualification every four years.
Most of these training courses are also available to others when there are course vacancies. In which case the course prerequisites are not essential, however it is recommended that participants have knowledge and experience equivalent to the stated prerequisites.
Formal training courses are complimented by regular exercises at regional and national level, all of which are essential for maintaining personnel and organisational response preparedness.
Maritime New Zealand is currently working towards New Zealand Qualifications Authority registration and International Maritime Organization accreditation for oil spill response training.
Introduction to marine polllution response [PDF: 339Kb, 26 pages]
Maritime New Zealand offers the following marine oil spill response training courses:
Most courses are conducted in Auckland and are usually based at Marine Pollution Response Services on the Te Atatu Peninsula. However, several courses each year, usually the revalidation courses, are conducted in regional locations throughout New Zealand.
Dates for upcoming training courses [PDF: 20Kb, 1 page]
In addition to the formal training options listed above, Maritime New Zealand staff and key response personnel engage in other training and development opportunities including involvement in overseas exercises and significant incidents.
From time to time Maritime New Zealand also conducts specialist training and courses designed for specific requirements and/or groups of responders.
All courses are presented in the English language.
This is a four-day course for those seeking qualification as field operators, and a five-day course for those requiring additional training in incident management skills.
The course covers:
On completion of this course attendees are fully qualified to assist in oil spill response anywhere in New Zealand.
Prerequisites: Nil
Course fee: $1,800.00
This is a two-day course for revalidating field operators, and a three day course for those revalidating incident management skills. These courses may be conducted as part of the Regional Responder courses, or as a separate revalidation course, often conducted in a regional location. Personnel revalidating on a Regional Responder course join the course on day three for the practical equipment deployments and operational planning sessions. Those revalidating on a separate revalidation course attend for the duration of the course.
Prerequisites: Regional Responder Training
Course fee: $720.00
This is an annual two-day course for those personnel appointed to the National Oiled Wildlife Response Team (NOWRT). The course provides an overview of New Zealand's response system followed by a more detailed explanation of the procedures and techniques for the capture, care and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife. The course also includes oiled bird washing techniques and selected specialist topics relevant to wildlife response. Whenever possible, training will involve the handling of live birds. Members of the NOWRT attend the course every two years in order to maintain their skills and knowledge, and keep up to date with wildlife response techniques and development.
Oiled wildlife response requires specialist skills and knowledge. Training in this particular aspect of oil spill response is delivered under contract by Massey University in Palmerston North.
A symbiotic development has occurred with Massey University’s Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, with the establishment of wildlife treatment facilities at the Palmerston North Campus. Specialist staff and equipment can be deployed during a response where there is oiled wildlife.
Prerequisites: Nil
Course fee: $770.00
This is a five-day course designed to qualify personnel for appointment as regional on-scene commanders within New Zealand's oil spill response organisation. Individual performance is assessed and attendance on the course results in a qualified or not qualified grade. Places on this course are limited and attendance on the course is normally restricted to personnel specifically identified. Any approved persons attending the course but not seeking qualification for appointment as a regional on-scene commander, may however be offered a course attendance qualification grade.
The course provides a detailed study of the role and responsibilities of on-scene commanders and includes practical exercises aimed at providing participants with opportunities to practise and demonstrate their management and decision-making skills and abilities.
Regional On-Scene Commanders, once appointed, may exercise statutory powers in accordance with the Maritime Transport Act.
Prerequisites: Regional Responder Training – Management (initial) course
Course fee: $1,900.00
Fees for courses cover tuition, meals and GST and are quoted in New Zealand dollars. Transport to and from the airport and course venue, and travel undertaken as part of the course is also included. The cost of accommodation and travel to and from the course location is however not included.
The Oil Pollution Fund meets the cost of attendance at Maritime New Zealand’s response courses for people who are members of the national or regional response teams as nominated by On-Scene Commanders.
If sufficient numbers of people are not available from within Maritime New Zealand or regional councils, suitably qualified persons from other organisations and/or the wider community may be nominated for oil spill response team positions. Where such nominations are accepted, training costs for those persons will also be met by the Oil Pollution Fund.
National and regional training exercises are periodically conducted to assess the capability and robustness of all planning, management and operational response systems.
Maritime New Zealand undertakes a major national incident management exercise every four years unless a significant spill has occurred in this timeframe.
The National Plan Exercise Programme defines four types of exercise:
Industry (shipping and oil) and Regional Councils are usually involved in the planning and operation of national exercises. International assistance may also be sought from national marine oil spill response agencies and spill response organisations and consultants.
The regional responder aide memoir gives a comprehensive guide on how to manage and respond to an oil spill incident. Topics include:
Regional responder training aide memoir [PDF: 250Kb, 35 pages]
The following files are used to assist in the training of response staff.
Adios –ADIOS2 (automated data inquiry for oil spills) is an oil weathering model [EXE: 3.12Mb]
Bonn calculator – oil on water quantification calculator [XLS: 42Kb]
Master converter – measurement conversion software [EXE: 357Kb]
Oil spill calculator – oil on water quantification calculator [XLS: 370Kb]
Quantification calculator – oil on water quantification calculator [EXE: 3.18Mb]
Trajectory calculator – oil movement calculator using current and wind data [EXE: 1.88Mb]
Inflation – 10 second movie of RoBoom inflation [MPG: 1.02Mb]
Kebabtdisk – 47 second movie showing oil recovery by Kebabt disk skimmer [MPG: 4.64Mb]
Mini Max – 14 second movie showing deployment of Mini Max skimmer [MPG: 1.35Mb]
Mini Max 1 – 5 second movie showing oil collection using Mini Max skimmer [MPG: 545Kb]
Mop – 7 second movie showing rope mop in operation [MPG: 728Kb]
RoBoom – 6 second movie showing deployed RoBoom [MPG: 609Kb]
RoBoom 1 – 47 second movie showing RoBoom retrieval and deflation [MPG: 4.54Mb]
RoBoom 3500 – 8 second movie showing RoBoom being deployed from reel [MPG: 873Kb]
RoBoom 3500b – 15 second movie showing oil contained by RoBoom [MPG: 1.54Mb]
Seamop 3040 – 6 second movie showing operation of Seamop [MPG: 689Kb]
Seamop 4090 – 7 second movie showing oil recovery by Seamop [MPG: x Mb]
Spray – 9 second movie showing dispersant spray set [MPG: 891Kb]
Terminator – 6 second movie showing terminator skimmer in operation [MPG: 582Kb]
Terminator 1 – 6 second movie showing the terminator skimmer in operation [MPG: 636Kb]
Terminator 2 – 10 second movie showing the terminator skimmer in operation [MPG: 1.02Mb]
To register for an oil spill response training course, please complete the course nomination form below and send your completed nomination form to:
MPRS Administrator
Maritime New Zealand
PO Box 45-209
Waitakere 0651
Telephone: +64 9 834-3908
Facsimile: +64 9 834-3907
E-mail: mprs@maritimenz.govt.nz
Course nomination form [PDF: 77Kb, 1 page]
Dates for upcoming training courses [PDF: 20Kb, 1 page]
