Norway will help Vietnam develop strategies for oil spills management at sea in the future, Norwegian Ambassador Torstein Risa said at an international conference held in Hanoi on Sept 19. Norway will transfer advanced environmental surveying technologies and offer advanced training to help Vietnam cope with oil spills and other environmental pollution issues, said Mr. Risa. According to the Vietnam Sea and Islands General Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the country’s sea transport records an average annual growth of almost 20%, with sea-freight charters accounting for 35% of total import-exports. Between 2007 and 2009, as many as 12 oil spills were reported in Vietnam sea, causing serious environmental pollution and huge losses to the national economy, said the department. The network of Vietnam’s sea survey and observation stations built in 1987 with poor equipment are no longer suitable, Head of the department Nguyen Van Cu said, adding that Vietnam needs support from foreign friends to cope with oil spills. Mr. Risa affirmed that his country will help Vietnam manage and promptly cope with marine environmental pollution accidents and provide personnel training in the field. During the event, experts urged Vietnam to soon build plans to respond to oil spills at sea, map an oil spill sensitivity system, and evaluate the risks of oil spill pollution in oceanic areas within Vietnam’s jurisdiction. Given its location on the main sea route to China, Japan and Korea and its proximity to oil exploration, Vietnam urgently needs to enhance its capacity to cope with such incidents, experts said. (Thoi Bao Ngan Hang – Banking Times Sept 20 p2)
