On 21 May an international team exercise Black Sea Alpha-2014 was conducted in Novorossiysk in order to train the skills of elimination of oil leaks in the sea caused by tanker accident. с The exercise was conducted by Federal Budgetary Enterprise «State Marine Emergency Salvage, Rescue and Pollution Prevention Coordination Service of the Russian Federation» with participation of representatives of Federal State Budgetary Enterprise “Administration of the Black Sea Seaports”, State Marine University under the name of Admiral F.F. Ushakov, and also employees of the FSUE “Rosmorport” Headquarters and the Azovo-Chernomorsky Basin Branch.

The exercise was focused on the issues of compliance to the rules of the Black Sea Contingency Plan to the Protocol on Cooperation in Combating Pollution of the Black Sea, coordination of different executive bodies during operations for elimination of oil leaks without the help of communication devices and enforcements, and also on the issues of cooperation with emergency and rescue services of other countries – participants of the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution 1992.

According to the exercise plan, a tanker carrying crude oil was hit by another ship 50 miles beyond the territorial waters of Russia. As a result of the simulated accident about 1200 tons of oil spilled into the sea. On receipt of the alarm all dispatcher services in the Russian emergency and rescue area of the Black Sea and in Novorossiysk Seaport were quickly warned, the regional plan for prevention and elimination of the oil spills was put into action and rescue teams were allocated to the accident area.

During the exercise, the employees of the FSUE “Rosmorport” Headquarters and Azovo-Chernomorsky Basin Branch, who were involved in coordination of emergency activities, made necessary calculations, participated in the modeling of the oil spill spreading and in the choice of relevant actions to be taken and equipment to be allocated for elimination of the simulated oil spill.

In the end of the exercise its participants fulfilled all the tasks proving the high level of readiness and efficiency of all Russian emergency and rescue teams and dispatcher services in the responsibility area of Russia in the Black Sea.