Port of Tyne simulates tug collision
The Port of Tyne’ s marine department were put through their paces recently during a successful emergency training day. Held at South Tyneside College’ s marine simulator, the exercise scenario involved a simulated incident, played out in real time involving a collision between a tug attending a large car carrier and a pleasure craft with 12 people on board in the Jarrow Slake area.
The exercise was overseen by over thirty representatives from the Port of Tyne, police, fire and rescue services, ambulance services, the Coastguard and the RNLI, as well as observers from the Marine and Coastguard Agency, North and South Tyneside Councils, NSA and Simon Storage.
While the Port of Tyne has a long history of using the Marine Simulation Centre for pilot training, this is the first time it has been used for this purpose. The advantages of marine simulation in this case are that they enabled the Port to test a very specific scenario, with the added realism of simulated images of the Tyne and surrounding areas.
Port of Tyne Deputy Harbour Master Alan McPherson said, ‘Because of the multi agency involvement, this exercise has taken six months to plan, as staff were put to the test familiarising themselves with the Port of Tyne emergency plan.’
The day long exercise was held as a requirement of the Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas regulations.
Alan McPherson added, ‘Incidents such as the type exercised are thankfully very rare. However, it is essential to test the plan by means of an exercise in order to ensure a rapid and coordinated response from all agencies involved. This is the best way to ensure the safety of life, the environment and property is maintained.’
