Emergency response personnel from eight Baltic countries are today (August 24th) carrying out oil spill prevention training in Lithuania, as part of a longstanding cooperative agreement.

Finnish news agency YLE reports that the national coast guard and representatives of the Finnish Environmental Centre will be taking part in the exercise, which has been held annually since 1989.

Trainees will work together to draw up and enact a response to a simulated tanker leak, while also practising with international alarm systems.

A total of ten Baltic vessels will be taking part in the oil training exercise, while the EU has also dispatched a ship to participate in the event.

Effective spill prevention has been established as a core industry requirement since the Deepwater Horizon spill which began in late April.

Although the well has now been capped, the US Environmental Protection Agency is carrying out ongoing tests to assess the environmental impact caused by crude and dispersants during the four-month spill.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development