Preparedness and response resources

Computer-generated Oil Spill Trajectory Models (OSTM) predict the behaviour of oil in the marine environment and are valuable tools in response and contingency planning.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) maintains Trajectory Modelling support services for use in an incident.

The movement and weathering of oil is calculated using data from metocean currents, wind forces and chemical behaviours.

An OSTM is only as accurate as the data used to generate it, therefore it is important to validate the model created with 'on the ground' measurement.

Request National Plan Oil Spill Trajectory Modelling on the AMSA website.

The Automated Data Inquiry for Oil Spills (ADIOS) is a weathering model used to predict how oil will break down in the marine environment.

It provides response planners with an indication of how long an oil spill may persist in the environment, and the best options for clean up.

The model uses weather conditions and chemical properties of the oil (either selected from the ADIOS library or manually entered) to predict the rate of evaporation, dissolution and emulsification.

ADIOS is maintained by the US Government's National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Find out more about ADIOS on the NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration website.

The Western Australian Oil Spill Response Atlas (OSRA) is a spatial database of environmental, logistical and oil spill response data.

Using a geographical information system (GIS) platform, OSRA displays datasets collated from a range of custodians allowing decision makers to visualise environmental sensitivities and response considerations for both contingency and incident planning.

OSRA is managed by DoT’s Maritime Environmental Emergency Response team and is part funded through the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Web Map Application (OSRA-WMA) 2.0

OSRA was upgraded to OSRA 2.0 in 2021 to provide additional functionality, datasets and improved user accessibility. 

You can use OSRA-WMA 2.0 to view layers found in OSRA via a secure portal and print maps.

While not intended to replace the full capacity of the GIS OSRA, WMA provides a functional, user friendly and accessible alternative to assist in oil spill planning and response.

WMA is a secure platform and datasets provided to DoT will not be open for extraction.

Register for access

You need to register your interest to access WMA.

Registrations will be reviewed on a case by case basis and logins will be issued by DoT based on an appropriate operational requirement to access WMA.

Log-ins to WMA will be limited to ensure optimum operation of the system.

Use the registration form below to begin the process.

To complete the form, save the form to your computer, fill in your details and click 'Submit' when complete.

A WA Net Environmental Benefit Analysis/Spill Impact Mitigation Assessment (NEBA/SIMA) Tool has been developed based on the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) National Plan workshops and the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) guidelines.

This tool helps to select response strategies in accordance with identified protection priorities.

Dispersants act to break up oil spills (either at the surface or subsurface) into small droplets that descend into the water column where they are more easily biodegraded by naturally occurring bacteria and other microorganisms.

Dispersant efficacy depends on a number of factors including, but not limited to:

• dispersant type
• oil type
• metocean (weather and oceanographic) conditions
• age of the oil (is it fresh or weathered).

In the right conditions, the application of dispersant could assist in the natural dispersion of oil and help to reduce environmental impacts in other locations. Because of this, dispersants may be considered for use as a response option in the event of a marine oil pollution incident.

DoT acknowledges the use of dispersants is not always an effective or useful response option and, in some situations, may actually lead to further environmental damage. As such, there are strict controls in place around the use of dispersants in and adjacent to WA State waters during a marine oil pollution incident.

During a response to either a shipping or offshore petroleum activity marine oil pollution incident in State waters, regardless of the source, the use of dispersants requires the written consent of the State Marine Pollution Coordinator. Any approach to the State Marine Pollution Coordinator for consent to use dispersants must be made by the relevant incident controller.

The Dispersant Consent Use Guidance Note has been developed to outline the consent framework for the use of dispersants in or adjacent to WA State waters during a marine oil pollution incident resulting from a shipping or offshore petroleum activity.

DoT has conducted a state-wide marine oil pollution risk assessment to understand the marine oil spill risk profile of WA.

The results of the project are used to prevent, prepare, respond and recover from a marine oil pollution incident. The risk assessment was comprised of:

• evaluating protection priorities of the receiving environment to assess potential consequences of marine oil pollution, and
• assessing the likelihood, size, location and type of marine oil pollution.

Results for the project are available from the WAMOPRA web map application.