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  • 2016 January 12

    Gennady Korotkin, Chairman of ECOSPAS BoD: “Our task is to provide reliable reserves for fast response to emergency situations”

    Gennady Korotkin, Chairman of ECOSPAS BoD, tells IAA PortNews about the gaps of safety legislation, oil spill response methods, import substitution and plans for further development.

    - Mr. Korotkin, could you, please, tell about the results of ECOSPAS activities in 2015 in the part of ecological and fire safety, particularly at the water transport?

    - In 2015, the number of emergency signals received by ECOSPAS increased by 63%, year-on-year. Our branches promptly responded to different emergency situations including oil spills at Tungor and Severnaya Oha fields as well as at Nevelsk port water area. Some 300 ECOSPAS rescuers and over 50 units of ECOSPAS equipment were involved.

    ECOSPAS also held scheduled exercises involving some 1,500 rescuers and 100 units of equipment and inspections at hazardous production facilities subscribed for ECOSPAS maintenance services over 2,500 inspections).  As for water sector, we should specially mark ECOSPAS activities at Sakhalin. 

    We are currently getting ready for operations at the Arctic shelf. It is a challenge for us. We have formed the first Arctic group in Murmansk and we currently hold meetings with the companies’ management to clarify their requirements. 

    In the Southern Basin we work with Caspian Pipeline Consortium. There are four teams there – in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar, Stavropol and Tuapse where we provide our services to CPC and Transneft on cooperation basis. Our rescuers are certified for sea operations.

    - What technologies are you going to apply in the Arctic waters?

    - We expect that icebreakers will ensure an ice-free zone around the platforms which is to be surrounded with booms. Ice will probably serve as a sorbent itself - this issue is still under-explored. I don’t think that technologies applied their will differ significantly from those applied at Sakhalin, at least initially.

    - A couple of words about import substitution. Foreign sorbents and equipment used to be applied during response operations before. Are there Russian innovative technologies in the field of environment protection and firefighting?

    - We cannot deny that foreign equipment is more advanced and meets up-to-date requirements. Its quality used to be higher. Yet, our manufacturers have recently started providing products of higher quality based on the best practices of foreign suppliers. We purchase domestic equipment for gas rescue operations, local automobiles, firefighting equipment and sorbents. One tonne of sorbent produced in Russia costs $2,000 while foreign sorbent costs $7,000.  The quality of Russian biosrobent is as high as that of the foreign product. Our task is to master new oil spill response technologies.

    - On November 12, 2015, ECOSPAS took part in the round table meeting of the State Duma Committee on Natural Resources, Environment and Ecology dedicated to regulatory frameworks of subsurface resources management in order to decrease its negative impact on environment. Could you, please comment on its results?

    - There are legislative gaps and we have elaborated some proposals on their elimination. We are working intensely with Committee now and we hope that amendments will be introduced into the Federal Law “On Protection of the Environment” and other legislative acts in 2016. We also count on amendments into the Law “On Industrial Safety of Hazardous Production Facilities”.   

    We think the entire system of industrial safety monitoring and supervision should be changed.  

    - How do you cooperate with the state authorities?

    - First of all I would mark that we are integrated into the all-Russia safety system and operate in conjunction with the Emergencies Ministry and regional committees for emergency situations. In my opinion, all hazardous production facilities should have their own safety certificates included into the base of hazardous facilities of the entire country with their plans for prevention and response to emergency situations. 

    ECOSPAS interacts with many regional committees all over Russia and has its own center integrated into the National Crisis Management Centre, emergency centers of Rosneft, Russian Railways and LUKOIL with which we have arranged cooperation and information exchange. In case of emergency we act first, block the situation and, if necessary, involve other Russia resources. 

    - How is the regional work arranged?

    - We have 45 regional centers and 5 territorial subdivisions in Russia. They are located mainly along the infrastructure facilities of Russian Railways as we service 95% of national railways. We also work at the shore facilities. Transportation of crude and oil products involves the port and the port zone which is an integrated transport system demanding special attention in terms of industrial and environmental safety. 

    - What are the company plans for 2016?

    - To intensify our activities, retain our customers and get new ones. The company was established in 1998 by the decision of the Governmental committee upon the initiative of the Emergencies Ministry. We are going to maintain our reputation. Profit we make is spent for training of specialists, fitting out and procurement of equipment, that is exclusively for our further development. Our task is to provide reliable reserves for fast response to emergency situations.

    Interviewed by Vitaly Chernov

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