Oil spill drill planned at Miami’s Government Cut

Oil spill drill planned at MiamiÆs Government Cut The U.S. Coast Guard said it would be conducting an oil spill response exercise Tuesday afternoon in the Government Cut channel near the Port of Miami.
   The Coast Guard is conducting the exercise in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Miami Dade Emergency Operation Center.
   The Coast Guard’s Gulf Strike Team from Mobile, Ala. will supervise teams from Sector Miami and Sector Key West in deploying the Coast Guard’s Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS).    The VOSS is a modular oil recovery method that can be secured to and operated from a vessel at a spill site.
   The VOSS is pre-staged at Port Everglades and can be deployed as needed in the event of an actual spill. With this system, a vessel can quickly transform into an oil recovery platform that has a maximum skimming capability of 190 gallons per minute.
   The results of the exercise will be used to validate and update local response plans in the event of an actual spill in the Port of Miami area.