Indian subcontinent, due to its demographic and climatic conditions is one of the most disaster prone areas of the world. The rise in population, rapid urbanization and industrialization within high-risk zones, environmental degradation and climate change, further aggravates its vulnerabilities to various kinds of disasters. With rapid economic development, human-induced hazards arising from accidents (industrial, road, rail, on river or sea, fires, mine flooding, oil spills etc) including Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) hazards, also heighten the vulnerabilities to disaster risks. A coastline of over 11555 kilometres with extensive maritime activities across the region, exponential increase in maritime trade, exploration activities coupled with the large quantum of liquid bulk cargo including Crude, Petroleum & Chemical products handled at the ports; further necessitates balancing development whilst ensuring a sustainable environment. Environment sustainability is also one of the biggest concerns, challenge & obligation faced by the global oil & gas and maritime industries today. It is of even more significance in Indian subcontinent considering it's coastline and marine ecosystems support the livelihood of hundreds of million people, contributes to the regional economy through flourishing industries like tourism, shipping, fisheries & energy, whilst being the foundation of its distinct flora & fauna.

Though unfortunate, spill disasters & blowouts are events that can occur during the process of oil & gas exploration, development, transportation, storage or processing of hydrocarbons or chemicals both onshore and offshore due to various factors including extreme weather conditions which are unpredictable. Chemical/HNS or oil spill accidents are also significant catastrophes with long-term impacts. They have disastrous consequences for society; economically and environmentally, including injuries, pain, suffering, loss of lives, damage to property and environment. Past & recent incidents across the globe have initiated intense media attention and political uproar calling for governments' stringent response and initiatives to prevent similar disasters in future.

The sheer scale of spill incidents & their repercussions on the environment necessitate the need for a global industry forum in Indian subcontinent to deliberate & strengthen the collaborative frameworks for prevention of these incidents whilst finding solutions for greater challenges including effective response & mitigation mechanisms for spill disasters

The Oil Spill India (OSI 2022) thus aims to be the region's flagship industry forum, outlining the commitment of stakeholders to collaborate with governments, regulators, operators & the global industry in addressing the common challenges. A confluence of great minds, the forum will also provide an opportunity to comprehensively review policy frameworks, global trends, disruptive innovations, recent case studies, OSR preparedness, including methodologies, techniques and models used for combating spills of any kind or source.

Correspondingly, new strategies and a decision support framework would be recommended to reduce risks, enhancing capabilities, foster collaboration, optimizing outcomes and achieve sustainable spill disaster resilience in Indian subcontinent region.

Join us to emerge safe, agile & sustainable!!