An operational exercise with Mr. Thomas Bergfeldt
Mr. Thomas Bergfeldt is one of MSB’s Oil Supply Officers, which is within the area of Shoreline Response. At the end of August 2024 he attended the operational exercise Balex Delta, which is an Shoreline Response exercise that took place in Lithuania. This is Mr. Bergfeldts experience of that exercise.
Pictures from the Balex Delta exercise in Lithuania in August 2024.
Balex Delta is the Baltic Sea countries' annual oil control exercise, and this time around Lithuania was the responsible country for the exercise. The objective of the exercise was to practice oil and chemical response operations at sea, and land in order to improve the navy's preparedness to operate as part of a multinational task force with other agencies in the coastal nations of the Baltic Sea.
The organizations that participated and collaborated in the exercises were the fleet of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the fire and rescue service in Klaipéda as well as the Coast Guard and the rescue services from several EU countries.
My task as Oil Supply Officer
As an Oil Supply Officer, you receive oil supply material to the contaminated area, instruct local staff on how to use the equipment and assist to limit the oil contaminated area from further contamination. An important aspect when working with Shoreline Response is to attend specific training and exercises to stay updated with specific procedures.
The OneX Host Nation Support (HNS) training and discussion exercise focused on scenarios in which HNS enters the environment following a marine incident and concentrates on the response and management priorities that follow from these scenarios. Such as: How do substances react, what are the options for a response, what resources should be considered, which health and safety issues may be at stake, and what are the response management priorities depending on the location of the incident.
Several exercises in one
According to the contingency plan for oil spill incidents at sea, the Lithuanian Sea Museum provides assistance to the marine animals contaminated by oil during pollution incidents. They have the capabilities of provide assistance to wild life.
During these days, several exercises were carried out, for example an oil response exercise in the port of Klaipéda area (Shoreline Response exercise). As well as an oil response exercise at sea, exercise of recovery and lecture. On the last day, a practice scenario was carried out outside the port of Klaipéda.