24/7 operational assistance
Are you in charge of spill response within a public body or private company? Do you need immediate technical support to handle an incident?
CEDRE's team is available to assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Call us on +33 (0)2 98 33 10 10.
assess, advise, act
IN RESPONSE TO EVERY SPILL
Rapid operational spill response
For nearly 50 years, we have been working throughout France and worldwide as technical advisers to help you deal with spills in marine or inland waters, from small-scale incidents through to major disasters.
Our strength lies in our comprehensive understanding of the situation. We provide expertise from the alert phase to the completion of operations and feedback.
We provide you with a team of experts who can be mobilised at any time and can work remotely from our headquarters or travel on-site to support the authorities or the organisation in charge of spill response.
250
activations each year
24/7
technical assistance
When to call us?
Pollutants
• Oil
• Chemicals
• Plastic macro-litter and plastic pellets
• Other hazardous products
Situations
• Maritime or river transport accident
• Leak at an industrial site, agricultural facility, port or wind farm
• Technological accident involving pollution (fire, etc.)
• Natural phenomenon involving pollution (flood, storm, etc.)
• Pollutant washed up on a shoreline, riverbank, etc.
Full remote technical support, available immediately
- Knowledge of pollutants: data analysis, research and interpretation of safety data sheets (SDS)
- Modelling of pollutant trajectory and behaviour in the environment (dispersion, evaporation, dissolution, etc.)
- Risk assessment for people and the environment
- Strategic advice: response scenario development, recommendations on response techniques and equipment
- Use of analytical and experimental tools to determine the most effective equipment and support decision-making on actions to be taken (fishing, water sports, tourism, etc.)
Crucial on-site support
At the request of the competent authorities, our experts can be sent on site to assist with spill management operations. Within incident management units, they provide direct support to local management teams to ensure a fast, coordinated and effective response.
Our on-site missions include:
- Conducting surveys and assessing the situation
- Taking part in the incident management unit and coordination meetings
- Drafting of technical and strategic recommendations
- Definition of equipment and personnel to be deployed
- Advice to responders
- Training of on-site teams
- Monitoring of clean-up operations
- Support during post-spill phase
Pollutant analysis
CEDRE's laboratory can be mobilised in an emergency to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of the pollutant and its weathering over time. We can also perform chemical fingerprinting in the case of an oil spill to compare samples. Finally, using our experimental tools, we can determine which response equipment will be the most effective.
Forecasting pollutant behaviour
We have high-performance forecast models designed to predict the evolution of oil or HNS spills. These tools can be used to simulate different scenarios, depending on the nature of the pollutant and the environmental conditions.
Our models and those of our partners cover several types of phenomena:
- Drift of oil slicks, chemical slicks or floating objects
- Physical and chemical evolution of an oil or chemical (evaporation, emulsification, changes in viscosity and volume)
- Atmospheric dispersal of a toxic cloud
- Behaviour of a chemical in the water column (buoyancy, evaporation, dissolution)
These models are essential for guiding operational decision-making and mitigating human and environmental impacts.
We also have mapping tools and geographic information systems at our disposal.
Contact point for the MAR-ICE Network
Assistance for chemical emergencies: international collaboration
The MAR-ICE (Marine Intervention in Chemical Emergencies) service was established through cooperation between EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency), CEDRE and Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council).
Together, we provide technical support to Member States facing chemical emergencies at sea or in ports.
A single contact point, available around the clock
Beneficiary states can contact CEDRE's 24-hour advisory service at any time. CEDRE acts as a response centre in the event of emergencies involving HNS.
We provide essential information:
- Behaviour of the substance(s) in the marine environment
- Risks for human health and the environment
- Recommended protective equipment
- Technical advice for managing the incident
Support during large-scale exercises
Our team can also be called upon to participate in chemical spill simulation exercises, at sea or in ports. Through these scenarios, the response capabilities of participating States can be tested and enhanced.
International recognition
CEDRE's expertise is recognised and valued by many States and international organisations.
We thus regularly contribute as experts, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, to technical assistance missions organised by the United Nations (UNEP/OCHA).
These missions are generally carried out on site (e.g. Peru, Sri Lanka, Mauritius). They may also take the form of remote discussions if conditions on site are unsafe (Yemen and Eritrea, for example).
For 25 years, CEDRE has also been part of the Mediterranean Assistance Unit (MAU) set up by REMPEC (Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea).
Need on-site or remote technical and scientific support?
24/7 EMERGENCY HOTLINE+33 (0)2 98 33 10 10
