The Ocean Decade seeks to advance and support scientific research.

On January 1st, 2021 the UN established a global foundation for the coordinated management and support of our oceans to help achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, named the Ocean Decade.

The Ocean Decade seeks to advance and support scientific research, innovative technologies and their international integration so that knowledge can be broadened and translated into improved policy and better decision-making.

Ocean science remains a relatively new and rapidly developing field, and as a consequence policy across deep sea, marine and coastal disciplines worldwide has often been sparse, inconsistent or unclear.

In the decade since one of the most widely known oil spills in history, Deepwater Horizon, there have been substantial advances in oil spill response methodologies.

Improvements in modelling, satellite technology, remote sensing, mapping and oil toxicity science have all strengthened monitoring capabilities, slick detection and characterisation techniques, enabling more informed and timely responses to incidents.

Likewise, standards in training and simulated exercises designed to prepare responders and stakeholders for incidents, along with legislation specifying the quality and frequency of training, have improved markedly in recent decades.

The Ocean Decade is an important initiative to raise awareness of ocean science and marine resources, to break down national barriers, to integrate ocean research into educational curricula, and to provide current, detailed information for policy assessments — the benefits are wide-ranging. In this context, oil spill response, supported by industry data and technology, will play a vital role in the foundation’s success.

At SpillConsult we are privileged to contribute by preparing responders and organisations for incidents as part of this forward-looking, global effort.