UNDAC MissionUNDAC Mission

Port of DjiboutiToxic chemical spill

March 2002

DjiboutiDjibouti• Country bordered by Eritrea,

Ethiopia and Somalia.

• Population is approx. 500,000• The Port is the economic centre of

the country, and the most important port in the Horn of Africa

The IncidentThe Incident• A chemical spill of chromated copper

arsenate (CCA) from a total of fifteen sea containers representing 200 tonnes of product

• CCA is a highly corrosive and toxic wood preservative / fungicide

• 10 containers arrived in the port on 15 November and discovered leaking on 9 January

• An additional five leaking containers arrived on 24 January

Incident DetailsIncident Details• Containers shipped from the UK destined for

Ethiopia• Offloaded from a ship in the port of Djibouti

for subsequent transport to Ethiopia by road• Initial efforts to secure the manage the leak

resulted in the contamination of five separate sites in the port area

• Fortunately, only small quantities of product were lost to the sea, causing negligible impacts

Port Area

Humanitarian Humanitarian Concerns -Concerns -

Public HealthPublic Health• As many as 500 claim to have been exposed to the product

• There has been at least one death, though a direct link to chemical exposure has yet to be established

• Concerns regarding contamination of foodstuffs and exposure of employees at WFP warehouse

• Fear about drinking bottled water and Coca Cola from nearby facility

Environmental Environmental ConcernsConcerns

• Five contaminated sites could result in groundwater contamination and impacts to marine environment

• Chronic exposure to dust can cause longer term health and environmental impacts

• Rains (which sometimes occur in early April) will severely widen the area of impact

Steps TakenSteps Taken

• An FAO expert was brought in to conduct an assessment in early February

• Subsequent to the FAO report, the port authority implemented a number of recommendations

Steps TakenSteps TakenAs per FAO recommendations:As per FAO recommendations:

• Evacuation of all equipment at site 5 (other than trucks and leaking containers)

• Construction of a fence around site 5

• Installation of polyethylene sheeting covered with sand to cover leak and contain further leakage at sites 2, 3 and 5

• Construction of steel trays for leaking containers

The UNDAC MissionThe UNDAC Mission

• The mission was organized by OCHA with support from the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environmental Emergencies Section

• The team was composed 2 OCHA Geneva, 1 UNEP staff member (from the Joint Unit) and 1 member from OCHA field office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• The team was later joined by a Swiss ecotoxicology expert

The Role of the TeamThe Role of the Team• Assess humanitarian impacts from spill

• Follow-up assessments of sites further to the implementation of the FAO expert’s recommendations

• Overall coordination in the wake of the country’s appeal for international assistance

• Recommendations on immediate response to the leaking containers and remediation of contaminated sites

Assessment ProcessAssessment Process

• Multiple visits to all five sites

• Extensive interviews with the port management and staff

• Meetings with Djiboutian national authorities

• Coordination and cooperation with the UN country team

Port of DjiboutiPort of Djibouti

FindingsFindings

• The port had implemented virtually all FAO recommendations in order to secure the situation

• Though contained, the product was still leaking heavily

• In spite of efforts, there was still widespread panic within the community with respect to health risks.

FindingsFindings• Djibouti did not have the technical

expertise to manage the situation beyond what had been already undertaken– Consequently, the team requested the

assistance of an ecotoxicologist / waste management specialist from Geneva to assist

• Sites 1,2&5 - heavy contamination requiring immediate attention

• Sites 3&4 - stable with some protective measures recommended

Site 1 - Hazardous Cargo Site 1 - Hazardous Cargo Container AreaContainer Area

Green stains show clear evidence of contamination from CCA at site 1 where containers were stored from 15 November to 9 January

View of contaminated area from opposite end

Site 2 - Leaking container Site 2 - Leaking container areaarea

Staining from CCA and contamination from other hazardous chemicals at site 2

Application of sand to contaminated areas of site 2

Evidence of severe contamination from CCA

Site 2 - Leaking container Site 2 - Leaking container areaarea

Site 5 - Isolation ZoneSite 5 - Isolation Zone

Five trucks containing 10 leaking containers

Product creeping from under plastic sheeting several metres away from trucks

Close up of leaking product pooling under trucks

Site 5 - Isolation ZoneSite 5 - Isolation Zone

Site 5-Container in Steel Site 5-Container in Steel TrayTray

View of one container in a steel tray constructed by the port to contain the leaking product

ConclusionsConclusions• Djibouti has virtually no capacity to

respond to hazardous materials occurrences

• Port was very proactive in taking necessary actions to secure the situation.

• Overall lack of prevention, preparedness and awareness

• Weak disaster management capacity at local/national level

ConclusionsConclusions

• Poor risk communications resulting in continued panic and rumors in the community

• Several good contingency plans exist but were not activated

RecommendationsRecommendations

Immediate Immediate (as outlined in Action Plan)(as outlined in Action Plan)

• Stop leaks at site 5• Transfer product to new containers• Address contamination at sites 1,2 & 5• Relocate and establish proper leaking

hazardous cargo area - currently site 2• Establish a destocking zone to

accommodate contaminated waste & soil

Recommendations Recommendations

Medium to Long TermMedium to Long Term• Decontamination of non-urgent sites• Contingency plans should be updated,

disseminated and tested• Need for training and proper equipment for

handling and responding to hazmat incidents

• Develop a legal framework for handling and transportation of dangerous goods with Djibouti

RecommendationsRecommendations

• Update port procedures so that future leaks are addressed in situ (preventing contamination of multiples sites)

• Routine inspection of hazardous cargo area at port for early identification of leaks

Needs CoveredNeeds Covered

• Protective equipment (Canton de Genève)

• Antidotes for for arsenic poisoning (Hôpital Cantonal de Genève)

• Construction of destocking zone for contaminated soil and waste (UNDP/OCHA)

Needs Still to be Needs Still to be CoveredCovered

• Expert Hazmat team (with appropriate personal protective equipment) for transfer operations.

• Overpack drums to accommodate leaking containers.