Courtesy Photo | Participants unload oil spill response equipment during an equipment deployment...... read more read more
Government officials, emergency managers, and technical experts gathered March 23-27 in Majuro to enhance their collective ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from marine oil spill incidents.
The 5-day Oil Spill Response Workshop focused on inter-agency cooperation with the aim to enhance regional capacity in oil spill preparedness and response, strengthen partnerships, and share best practices. Sponsored by the U.S. Government, through U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), instructors comprised of personnel from the Republic of Marshall Island’s Environmental Protection Agency, RMI’s Ministry of Health, U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and PCCI, Inc.
In advance of this workshop, oil spill response equipment was donated to RMI EPA to further develop their capabilities in responding to maritime oil spills. To add resiliency to the maritime transportation system, the U.S. Coast Guard and RMI EPA collaborated to develop the first version of a National Contingency Plan.
A comprehensive range of topics were covered that were central to response and regional preparedness. Goals of this workshop were to build knowledge, develop skills, test readiness, identify gaps and foster partnerships towards improving civil-military relationships between participating organizations, regional organizations, and interagency to ensure coordinated responses.
Key discussions included RMI’s updated National Spill Contingency Plan, which serves as RMI’s central oil spill contingency planning document.
Recent updates to the NATPLAN are results of RMI EPA’s collaboration with the USCG Pacific Engagement Center, highlighting efforts to enhance coordination and capability.
The workshop consisted of three days of classroom instruction, followed by a tabletop exercise, and culminated in a field exercise giving responders hands-on practical experience.
The workshop created a venue for participants across agencies to build connections and work together in a controlled environment.
“We congratulate the Republic of the Marshall Islands on its National Contingency Plan, a milestone reflecting a strong commitment to maritime environmental protection,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Harms, chief of marine and environmental response at Coast Guard Oceania District. “This week’s workshop with our partners at CFE-DM and NOAA strengthened our collective response capabilities through shared expertise. The U.S. Coast Guard is proud to stand with RMI to safeguard their marine environment and looks forward to our continued collaboration for a secure and resilient Indo-Pacific.”
The high level of engagement and understanding shown by participants indicates strong potential for continued resiliency building in this area.
Due to the significant impacts of oil spills on local communities, a main objective of any spill response should be to enhance affected communities resilience to oil spills, by way of carefully assessing the impacts, involving communities in the decision making process for determining appropriate response activities, and providing regular and accurate information on the impacts of the spill and spill response activities.
“CFE-DM is honored to co-facilitate this Oil Spill Response Workshop,” said James Kenwolf, Training and Engagements Branch Chief for CFE-DM. “This is the seventh workshop we have completed in the Indo-Pacific Region in order to more effectively respond to disasters and increase resilience to reduce suffering that may occur as a result of an oil spill.”
Workshops have also been completed in Maldives, Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea.
By leveraging partnerships and advancing training efforts, U.S. INDOPACOM is working with Pacific Island nations and their partners to strengthen regional preparedness and help to enable a more coordinated and effective response when disasters strike.
| Date Taken: | 03.27.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2026 16:26 |
| Story ID: | 561595 |
| Location: | MAJURO, MH |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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