Poole Harbour Pipe Leak – Advice changing from Wednesday 5 April

On Sunday 26 March a leak occurred at a pipeline operated by Perenco at Owers Bay in Poole Harbour.

Latest statement from Poole Harbour Commissioners issued on 4 April:

As a result of the progress of the cleanup operations, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has revised previous advice and indicated that people are able to once again use the beaches and water in the Poole Harbour area for recreational use.

This includes swimming, bathing and watersports. Pets are now safe to walk near the water in the Poole Harbour area. The public are however requested to stay clear from Ower Bay.

This update will be in effect from 00:01 on Wednesday 5 April 2023.

PHC will continue the cleanup operation. Should anyone see oil on the water, sightings should be reported to Harbour Control on 01202 440 230 or via pooleharbourcommissioners@phc.co.uk

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is in the process of removing the signage at harbour beach areas and slipways that previously advised visitors not to swim in those areas until further notice.

In the Dorset Council area, signage is being removed from the Studland beaches, Knowle Beach, South Beach, Ferry Road and Shell Bay that previously advised visitors not to swim in those areas until further notice.

Fishing and/or netting for fish in Poole Harbour can resume.

Those fishing should avoid any areas of the Harbour which are evidently contaminated with oil (spill site). Any fish found to be dead, dying or visibly contaminated with oil residues should not be consumed or marketed.

Shellfish harvested from Poole Harbour from Sunday 26 March onwards should not be relayed or marketed. This advice regarding shellfish remains unchanged, due to the difference in metabolism between fish and shellfish.

BCP Council and Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (SIFCA) have carried out sampling of shellfish from the aquaculture grounds in Poole Harbour and are awaiting the results of this testing, and further assessment by the FSA, to inform the position regarding shellfish.

The latest updates will be posted on the SIFCA website: https://www.southern-ifca.gov.uk/

We continue to ask that members of the public do not try and help with the clean-up at Poole Harbour, specialist trained teams are working hard on the ground.

It is unlikely that there will be any long term health effects from short exposures (eg days). Anyone who has come into contact with the spill should wash immediately with soap and water for ten minutes. If eyes have come into contact with the spill, they should be rinsed with water. Anyone who has been exposed to fuel oil and is feeling unwell please contact NHS 111 or seek medical attention from your GP.

A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) restriction remains in place in Poole Harbour until the 9th April. Commercial drones are being used as part of the response and have a dispensation from the NOTAM. All other drones should avoid the area.

Further Frequently Asked Questions are available to view on the Poole Harbour Commissioners website: www.phc.co.uk/oil-spill-frequently-asked-questions-faqs/

Should further information from subsequent assessments change, a decision may be made to revise this advice again.

Latest statement from Poole Harbour Commissioners issued on 2 April:

The clean-up operation has continued over the weekend. An estimated 140,000 litres of oily/water mix and over 5 tons of contaminated beach/soil material and contaminated materials have now been recovered. A cofferdam at the leakage site has been constructed and the pipeline has been sealed. Pipeline excavation work is continuing. Flushing and skimming operations continue non-stop in Ower Bay. The containment measures involving 11 booms are proving successful.

We understand that approximately thirty “slightly oiled” birds have been observed, however there have been no serious bird casualties. We are unaware of any other wildlife casualties as a result of the incident at this point. The RSPCA and RSPB are taking the lead in dealing with this issue.

The main focus of clean up operations is at Ower Bay, however substantial clean up is also taking place at the Goathorn and Arne peninsulas. Poole Harbour Commissioners are working closely with the Standing Environment Group (SEG), involving Environment Agency and Natural England.

There is no change in advice regarding recreational use of Poole Harbour. A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) restriction remains in place in Poole Harbour until the 9th April. Commercial drones are being used as part of the response and have a dispensation from the NOTAM. All other drones should avoid the area.

PHC have a FAQ section on its website https://www.phc.co.uk/oil-spill-frequently-asked-questions-faqs/

We continue to ask that members of the public do not try and help with the clean-up at Poole Harbour, specialist trained teams are working hard on the ground.

It is unlikely that there will be any long-term health effects from short exposures (eg days). Anyone who has come into contact with the spill should wash immediately with soap and water for ten minutes. If eyes have come into contact with the spill, they should be rinsed with water. Anyone who has been exposed to fuel oil and is feeling unwell please contact NHS 111 or seek medical attention from your GP.

 

Latest statement from Poole Harbour Commissioners issued on 31 March:

The clean up operation has continued overnight. An estimated 100,000 litres of oily/water mix has now been recovered. A cofferdam has now been constructed and excavation of the oil pipe is due to commence today, weather permitting. An estimated 2 tons of contaminated sediment has been recovered to the waster reception facility on the Port Estate. Flushing and skimming operations continue daily in Ower Bay. Despite the overnight rain the containment measures in place are proving very successful.

We are aware that there is speculation online regarding the leak and the suggestion that oil is still leaking from the original source. Perenco have confirmed that at the time of the leak the source of the leak was shut down and pressure was removed. There is product in the immediate area around the leak source and some oil remains within the contaminated area. Whilst some contaminated oil remains in the pipe, Perenco have taken mitigation measures to minimise the risk of further oil going into Poole Harbour.

If you are visiting our area this weekend, the advice from the UK Health Security Agency remains that people should avoid using the beaches and water in the Poole Harbour area for any recreational use until further updates become available. This includes, but is not limited to, hand gathering of shellfish, swimming, bathing, watersports, fishing and angling.

Pets should also be kept away from the water in the Poole Harbour area.

Please note that a NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) restriction is in place in Poole Harbour until the 9^th April.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has raised signage at Rockley Park, Lake Pier, Hamworthy Park, Baiter Slipway, Whitley Lake (Kite Beach) and the slipway at Lake Road to advise visitors not to swim in these areas until further notice.

Signage has been put up by Dorset Council along the Studland beaches, Knowle Beach, South Beach, Ferry Road and Shell Bay advising visitors not to not to swim in these areas until further notice.

Dorset Council have confirmed that nearby beaches in the Dorset Council area at Swanage, Kimmeridge Bay, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door remain safe to use, and offer alternatives for visitors and water-users to enjoy.

BCP Council’s seafront welcomes visitors this weekend, and whilst their Poole Harbour beach locations advise no recreation in the water, BCP confirm that there are other areas outside the Poole Harbour area where activities can be enjoyed.

The slips at Swanage and Mudeford are open as an alternative for those that would normally choose to launch from a Poole Harbour slip.

Anyone wishing to fly drones or model aircraft should adhere to the drone code and seek the relevant permissions and ID before flying. Flight mapping can be found on the following website: https://notaminfo.com/ukmap

PHC have a FAQ section on its website  www.phc.co.uk.

We continue to ask that members of the public do not try and help with the clean-up at Poole Harbour, specialist trained teams are working hard on the ground.

It is unlikely that there will be any long-term health effects from short exposures (eg days). Anyone who has come into contact with the spill should wash immediately with soap and water for ten minutes. If eyes have come into contact with the spill, they should be rinsed with water. Anyone who has been exposed to fuel oil and is feeling unwell please contact NHS 111 or seek medical attention from your GP.

 

Latest statement from Poole Harbour Commissioners issued on 30 March:

Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) can confirm that good progress has been made with the Poole Harbour clean-up operation with a total of 327 survey reports thus far. Aircraft surveillance continues today (although low cloud base is restricting visibility) and drones continue to be used as an effective means of collecting information.

A further 31,000 litres of liquid has been recovered overnight. Four containment booms are in place along with absorbent booms and this is proving effective at containing oil that leaked into Poole Harbour on Sunday. PHC continue to work continuously with an environmental team including the Environment Agency and Natural England in order to agree the most effective strategy to deal with the incident and additional manpower from Oil Spill Pollution companies has been assigned to the operation.

There are few areas in the harbour that have a light sheen which where possible can be absorbed or will naturally disperse, and any sightings should be reported to harbour control on 01202 440 230.

The main focus remains around the site of the leak in Ower Bay, however clean up teams are being sent to other parts of the Harbour as and when oil has been identified. Further meetings are taking place today in Poole Harbour’s Emergency Response Centre in order to ensure that the operation is as effective as possible and that up to date information is made available to the relevant authorities who are assisting with the incident.

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Key stakeholders in the shellfish industry have been advised not to market shellfish harvested from Poole Harbour from Sunday 26 March onwards. This advice will remain in place until further assessment has been made and advice has been received from the Food Standards Agency and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) regarding safety. Testing has taken place and Investigations are continuing at this time.

The UK Health Security Agency has asked that people avoid using the beaches and water in the Poole Harbour area for any recreational use until further updates become available. This includes but is not limited to hand gathering of shellfish, swimming, bathing, watersports, fishing and angling.

Pets should also be kept away from the water in the Poole Harbour area.

We continue to ask that members of the public do not try and help with the clean-up at Poole Harbour, specialist trained teams are working hard on the ground.

It is unlikely that there will be any long-term health effects from short exposures (eg days). Anyone who has come into contact with the spill should wash immediately with soap and water for ten minutes. If eyes have come into contact with the spill, they should be rinsed with water. Anyone who has been exposed to fuel oil and is feeling unwell please contact NHS 111 or seek medical attention from your GP.

For further information, please contact: pooleharbourcommissioners@phc.co.uk

 

Latest statement from Poole Harbour Commissioners issued on 28 March:

Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) ’Shoreline Clean Up and Assessment Technique’ (SCAT) intensive operation continues today.

Since the start of the process, 58 km of shoreline has been assessed. We have received over 200 reports from five teams feeding into our Emergency Response Centre. PHC continue to monitor the harbour by helicopter, drones, boat and shore patrols.

Latest reports show that the oil continues to dissipate, however some oil has come ashore in a small number of areas and PHC is in the process of clearing up these areas as and when recorded.

There have been a limited number of reports regarding oiled birds, however we are unaware of any bird fatalities at this stage, but we will continue to monitor the situation.

Water and shellfish sampling is being carried out in Poole Harbour and we continue to monitor any impact on the environment. Key stakeholders in the fishing industry have been contacted.

As a precaution, the public are advised that they should still avoid using Poole Harbour for recreational purposes – including the hand gathering of shellfish – and continue to avoid bathing at beaches within Poole Harbour until further updates become available.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has raised signage at Rockley Park, Lake Pier, Hamworthy Park, Baiter Slipway, Whitley Lake (Kite Beach) and the slipway at Lake Road to ask visitors not to swim in these areas until further notice.

Signage has been put up by Dorset Council along the Studland beaches, Knowle Beach, South Beach, Ferry Road and Shell Bay asking visitors not to not to swim in these areas until further notice.

In the event of local landowners discovering fluid or oil on their land and or near the foreshore, Poole Harbour Commissioners should be contacted on pooleharbourcommissioners@phc.co.uk for assistance.

We ask that members of the public do not try and help with the clean-up at Poole Harbour, specialist trained teams are working hard on the ground.

PHC would like to extend its appreciation to all the organisations who are assisting us with this operation.

For further information, please contact: pooleharbourcommissioners@phc.co.uk

 

Below is the latest statement from Poole Harbour Commissioners issued on 27 March:

Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) are leading the response to the oil spill incident that took place in Poole Harbour yesterday.

PHC have activated their emergency Oil Spill Response Plan and specialist oil spill response companies are assisting with the operation.

A Major Incident was declared and a strategic co-ordination group (SCG) was set-up to monitor, which includes Dorset Police, Dorset Council, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council, NHS, Environment Agency and Natural England.

Since 7am, all teams have been out assessing the shoreline and harbour, undertaking Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique (SCAT).

Over 100 people have been involved in these operations this morning.

Helicopters, drones, vessels and shore patrols are out gathering data and feeding it back to our Emergency Response Centre.

Aerial footage gathered today suggests that there is a 60-70% reduction in oil sightings on the water.

Collection of oil from sightings has already commenced and is being recovered to a safe waste recovery site on the port estate.

As a precaution, the public should still avoid using the water for recreational purposes and continue to avoid bathing at beaches within Poole Harbour until further updates become available.

BCP Council is in the process of putting signage up on the beaches to inform bathers of this.

We ask that members of the public do not try and help with the clean-up at Poole Harbour, specialist trained teams are working hard on the ground.

It is unlikely that there will be any long term health effects from short exposures (eg days). Anyone who has come into contact with the spill should wash immediately with soap and water for ten minutes. If eyes have come into contact with the spill, they should be rinsed with water. Anyone who has been exposed to fuel oil and is feeling unwell please contact NHS 111 or seek medical attention from your GP.

All of these measures are keeping the situation stable. We will provide further information when we have it.