Canada’s Response Organizations
In 1993, amendments were made to the Canada Shipping Act (CSA) to strengthen Canada’s marine oil spill response capability. The amendments required:
- That ships (as defined in the CSA) operating in Canadian waters south of 60° N Latitude and designated oil-handling facilities located in Canada south of 60° N Latitude have an arrangement with a certified response organization.
- The establishment of certified response organizations.
Canada’s private sector established four response organizations within Canada to meet the requirements of the CSA and to provide marine oil spill response services.
Canada’s RO’s
Definition of an Response Organization (RO)
A RO is defined in the Canada Shipping Act (CSA) as a person or body who is certified by the Minister in respect of any geographic area and in respect of a specified quantity of oil. The certification is dependent on the receipt and approval by the Minister of a response plan that conforms to regulations respecting the procedures, equipment and resources that will be used by the RO for a spill of a specified quantity of oil within its geographic area.
Role
A certified RO has two roles.
First: to enable parties to have an “arrangement” with a certified RO as required by the CSA, and
Second: to provide marine oil spill response services to its members, when requested to do so.
Arrangement
An arrangement is the right given by a RO to a ship or oil-handing facility so that it can identify (for purposes of its oil pollution emergency plan) it as the RO with which the ship or oil-handing facility has the arrangement.
Marine Oil Spill Response Services
Marine oil spill response services means the provision of equipment, personnel and operational management, for the containment, recovery and clean-up of oil spilled on or into water or spilled on water in connection with the loading or unloading of oil from ships and also includes preventative measures. It does not include acting as the On-Scene Commander, lightering of distressed vessels or involvement in third party damage claims or adjustments.
This following document has been developed to provide interested parties with an overview of Canada’s Response Organizations.
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