Port accessToday, representatives of some twenty companies located in the Port of Bilbao attended the presentation of the Port’s Interior Maritime Plan, which the Port Authority has drawn up, and which has recently been approved by the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy after the Harbour Master’s favourable report.
On behalf of the Port Authority, its Director, Carlos Alzaga and the Security Chief, Jorge Arce spoke as did a representative of Azti, Manuel González, who dealt with the risk analysis.
The Interior Maritime Plan originates from the Interior Contingency Plan against accidental marine pollution in the Port of Bilbao, which dates from February 2005 and was made up in accordance with the requisites set out in Royal Decree 253/2004, whereby measures are established for preventing and combating pollution in operations involving loading, unloading and handling hydrocarbons in port areas.
The coming into force of Royal Decree 1695/2012, which approves the “National Response System against Marine pollution,” means that the Port Authority has had to draw up a new plan, with a very important change inasmuch as it includes accidental marine pollution scenarios caused by harmful and potentially dangerous substances other than hydrocarbons.
This Plan establishes the response mechanisms to be triggered in a case of marine pollution. The Plan will be applied to Zones I and II of the Port of Bilbao.
The document includes an analysis of risks and vulnerable areas of 67 harmful and potentially dangerous substances for the marine environment that are moved in the Port, extracted from the Interior Maritime Plans of the facilities situated in the Port areas affected by Royal Decree 1695/2012. For unanalysed waste points, the Port Authority Emergency Control Centre has an operational system for predicting marine tides and waste evolution developed for the Port of Bilbao.
