Port of Bilbao Tests Marine Pollution Contingency Plan with Spill Response Drill

The Bilbao Port Authority coordinated a marine pollution response drill at the cruise terminal known as Getxo 3. The exercise involved the Authority's own vessels together with resources from the Mooring Operators and Tugboats of the Port of Bilbao.

During the drill, one of the six containment booms owned by the Port Authority was deployed, out of a total fleet spanning 2,050 meters in length. These resources are complemented by the containment booms of industrial companies based at the port, such as Petronor, Tepsa and Esergui, in addition to the assets provided by the Mooring Operators and Tugboats.

The drill aimed to test the Port of Bilbao's Marine Pollution Contingency Plan for accidental marine pollution, assessing coordination among the various parties involved and the capacity to respond to an emergency. According to the sources, this type of exercise is carried out periodically at the port.

The sources highlight that Bilbao is one of the European ports with the largest fleet of its own resources for environmental emergency response.