Oiled Shoreline Cleanup

Response on the shoreline consists of a sequence of closely linked operations, which must be made compatible:

Measures taken before the pollution reaches the shore
Site cleanup
Worksite and waste management

Cleanup begins with phase 1, initial cleanup, operations, which are followed by phase 2, final cleanup operations. While phase 2 operations are usually carried out by private companies with specific equipment and skills, part of phase 1 can be undertaken by volunteers with quite readily available equipment.

The aim of this first phase is to prioritise the removal of accumulations of pollutant and various heavily polluted materials (sediment, floating debris, seaweed etc.) as quickly as possible.
The aim is twofold:

To limit the spreading of the pollution, by reducing the risk of the beached pollutant being reclaimed by the sea or moved by the wind
To limit the ecological impact, by reducing the length of time the pollutant is in contact with the environment, and/or employing the least detrimental techniques.

Organization, health and safety on the worksite are of the utmost importance.