10

Rauterberg  -  Current  position  of  German  spill  managers

Zone  I  <  10m
Generally  not
recommended  in
Wadde  n  sea,  exception
estuaries  und  special
conditions,  locally
limited
Figure  3.1  :  Zoning  of  the  North  Sea  depending  on  water  depth  for  dispersant  use  (Umweltbundesamt,
Report  10204  216/05).

Zone  III  >  20m
applicationof
dispersants  possible
Zone  II  10m-20m
single  case  decision
limited  use  of
dispersant  possible

In  zone  III  with  a  water  depth  of  more  than  20  m  the  use  of  dispersants  is  generally  possible.
Due  to  research  results  the  water  body  in  these  areas  is  big  enough  to  enable  a  proper  dilution ­
  of  the  oil/dispersant  mixture  which  keeps  harmful  effects  to  the  marine  environment  on  a
low  level.

In  zone  II,  the  water  depth  ranges  between  10  m  and  20  m  and  the  use  of  dispersants  is
considered  as  an  option  on  the  basis  of  a  single  case  decision  with  limited  amounts.

In  zone  I  with  water  depth  below  10  m  the  use  of  dispersants  is  not  recommended  with  exception ­
  of  the  estuaries  of  the  big  German  rivers  Elbe  and  Weser,  locally  limited.

The  concept  of  2007  does  not  contain  any  hard  criteria  how  to  decide  if  the  use  of  dispersant
is  better  for  the  marine  environment  than  letting  the  oil  drift  ashore.  The  benefit  of  the  use  of
dispersants  for  the  ecosystem  has  to  be  indicated  by  a  net  environmental  benefit  analysis
(NEBA).  However,  a  NEBA  for  the  coastal  waters  of  Germany  as  preparation  for  the  decision
making  process  prior  to  an  oil  spill  has  not  yet  been  conducted  and  would  have  to  be  performed ­
  during  the  spill.  The  use  of  dispersants  in  the  Baltic  Sea  was  still  no  option.

Even  with  the  current  concept  the  mechanical  recovery  of  oil  remains  the  priority  response
strategy  in  Germany.  The  main  aim  is  still  to  remove  as  much  oil  as  possible  from  the  water
surface  in  order  to  minimize  damage  to  the  ecosystem.  Therefore,  equipment  acquisition  and
training  has  mainly  been  focussed  on  mechanical  recovery.  Until  now,  no  dispersant  stockpiles ­
  have  been  built  and  no  dispersant  specific  equipment  has  been  purchased  by  Germany- ­

  revisions  of  the  spill  response  concept
In  2016,  Germany  plans  to  revise  the  dispersants  concept  from  2007.  Some  key  points  of  the
new  concept  are  to  find  situations  and  areas  along  the  coastline  which  would  benefit  from  the
use  of  dispersants  in  case  of  an  oil  spill.