PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Members from the U.S. Coast Guard, Colonial Pipeline Company, Commonwealth of Virginia, Hampton Roads Maritime Incident Response Team and multiple port partners are scheduled to conduct a pollution exercise on the lower James River Wednesday to test their response capabilities in case of an actual incident.
This simulation will involve establishing an Incident Command Post in downtown Newport News and deploying floating boom and oil skimming equipment on the James River in the vicinity of the Lawnes Creek Boat Ramp in Surry County from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“This is an industry sponsored, full-scale exercise that is being used to test and evaluate our response to a large scale pollution event on a local waterway, or Area Contingency Plan; Colonial Pipeline’s Emergency Response Plan; and the Commonwealth’s Emergency Operations Plan,” explains U.S. Coast Guard Capt. John Little, commander of Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads. “The waterways are a vital resource for the Hampton Roads economy, and this exercise is an essential aspect of ensuring we are ready for any emergency scenario.”
