Indonesia’s Oil Spill Combat Team (OSCT) is behind the successful implementation of the Marine Pollution Exercise (Marpolex). The National Marpolex 2020 event was held from Friday 27 November 2020 until the peak of the event on Monday 30 November 2020 in Lampung.

In this celebration, OSCT displays a variety of super sophisticated equipment and technology in dealing with and overcoming oil spills. In addition, this private company engaged in the waste management sector for oil spillage sent 6-7 personnel to the event.  This is done so that OSCT contributions can all out to support this event.

As is well known, the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) held an oil spill prevention exercise in the sea as an effort to strengthen coordination between agencies related to oil spill response on a local, regional and national scale. The 2020 National Marpolex was opened virtually by the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi.

“Lampung Province is a strategic area located near the Sunda Strait which has been designated by IMO as a water area with a Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) on July 1, 2020. So we want to test the readiness of personnel and equipment for handling pollution in the waters, especially as a location for assistance if it occurs. shipping disaster in the TSS Sunda Strait area, “said Minister of Transportation Budi Karya.

For the record, the implementation of Marpolex which is held regularly every year is an implementation of the mandate of Law Number 17 of 2008 concerning Shipping, Government Regulation Number 21 of 2010 concerning Maritime Environmental Protection and Presidential Regulation Number 109 of 2006 concerning Handling of an Emergency Oil Spill in Sea.

In even years starting from 2016, 2018, 2020, Marpolex is held on a National scale, while Marpolex on a Regional scale is held every odd year (2017, 2019, 2021) together with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard. In 2019, a Regional Marpolex was held in Davao, Philippines where Indonesia sent 3 Class I State Ships to take part in a joint exercise.

The 2020 National Marpolex exercise was attended by elements from the Directorate General of Sea Transportation, the Provincial Government of Lampung, the Lampung Navy Base, Lampung BASARNAS, Lampung Police Police, SKK Migas, Indonesian Oil Spill Combat Team (OSCT), PT. Pertamina (Persero), PT. Pelindo II Panjang Branch, and other stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the ships involved in the Marpolex 2020 training include KN. Trident, KN. Kalimasada, KN. Chundamani, KN. Jembio, KN. 336, RIB Basarnas 1, RIB Trisula, TB. Leopard, TB. Legundi 3, Port Health Office fleet, MT. Pasaman, Searider TNI AL, KP. Polair and Pertamina’s RIB. The number of participants who took part in this year’s National Marpolex is approximately 300 people.