Oil Spill Response Exercise

In April 2023 we were asked to document an oil spill response exercise west of Shetland on board bp’s NS Elida. Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is the largest international industry-funded cooperative which exists to respond to oil spills wherever in the world they may occur, by providing preparedness, response and intervention services.

The exercise was designed to test OSRLs readiness to respond to an oil spill in Shetland waters, including the deployment of 500m of inflatable boom, a skimmer, and the use of a fishing vessel to tow the boom into a ‘U’ shape around a spill.

The weather for the exercise could not have been better, with calm seas and glorious sunshine. We were at sea for most of the day, and shot several hours’ worth of drone and gimbal footage, including interviews with OSRL and BP staff onboard. Deliverables were two videos – a short and a long version – plus a gallery of stills from the day.