While Guyana has in place a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCP), Auditor General Deodat Sharma has concluded that the plan is littered with legal and operational gaps that could severely impact response efforts.
The conclusion was contained in the report of a performance audit of Guyana’s preparedness for a marine oil spill. The report was tabled at Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly.
Guyana’s National Oil Spill Contingency Plan was approved in August 2020 and implemented in October 2020. Under the plan, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) is designated the Competent National Authority and has overall responsibility for responding to oil spills, and the authority to make and implement decisions to mitigate the impacts of oil spills.