1693 New Alexandrian oil spill

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1693 New Alexandrian oil spill

An oil slick affecting a coastal community near Alkhiva, Alduria.
The Bay of Alkhiva in Alduria is the affected area.
Date	1693 AN - Ongoing
Location	Gulf of Alkhiva,  Nouvelle Alexandrie
Type	Oil spill

The 1693 New Alexandrian oil spill was an ecological disaster that occurred in 2.V.1693 AN at the Alkhiva Oil Storage and Refinery Facility (AOSRF) of the Aldurian Oil Company in the city of Alkhiva, Nouvelle Alexandrie. Starting on 3.V.1693 AN, dozens to hundreds of tons of tar and oil washed up on the beaches along a stretch of Alduria's Bay of Alkhiva, following a heavy storm and unusually high waves.

Background

• Aldurian Oil Company is a government-owned company, huge cash cow for the governmment because all oil and gas in Alduria is nationalized and they sold and extracted oil through the AOC mostly.
• The AOC developed, over the decades, a culture of invincibility, corruption; that went largely unnoticed by national government of many different political parties. The issue would come up in elections sometimes, but it was often folded within a greater anti-corruption message. While many parties did enact reforms and changes, the culture persisted and took a life of its own.
  • 1683: The Zimmer Government in Alduria launches an investigation into the misuse of government money by the AOC. Lawmakers accused AOC of "lavish spending" following the 1682 Oil and Gas Industry Conference in Pontecorvo, Alduria at the Northern Excalibur Hotel. AOC officials and executives spent hundreds of thousands of ecu in taxpayer money toward the conference, including employee travel costs for a total of eight pre-planning meetings, scouting trips, and a "dry run". The report also found excessive spending for event planners, gifts for participants, and lavish meals. The investigation resulted in two arrests and several resignations and firings in the AOC and in the Aldurian Department of Energy.
• Alkhiva Oil Storage and Refinery Facility - a facility that Alduria inherited, originally Babkhan, was rebuilt and reestablished from its previous ruins. Connected to key internal national pipelines as well as a huge terminal for the export of Aldurian gas and oil. The facility itself is generally managed well, but there have been chronic lapses in protocol, security, and in workplace safety over the years that have remained largely unaddressed or have been flat out ignored.
  • Safety reforms enacted were not enough following some terrible workplace accidents that resulted in small but limited spills in the facility, but never reached the sea. Quickly contained and cleaned up.
• Oil spill occurs when a connection to an oil tanker at the Alkhiva Oil Storage and Refinery Facility is severed, breaks, and leaks uncontrollably. Valves that control oil flow malfunction were damaged as the tanker was severed (not sure by what, narrative developing...). The spil continued into the bay for several days and was stopped eventually, but not before a lot of oil spilled into the sea. Originally currents carried out the oil to the open sea, but a storm and freak waves brought the oil back into the bay, leaving tar all over beaches and areas near Alkhiva.

Reactions

Government reaction

• Affected beaches closed until further notice, tourism industry has taken a hit in this area, especially small businesses that depend on the beach crowds - think restaurants, bars, small hostels and hotels, etc along the beaches and in resort towns along the beaches.
• Military, law enforcement deployment to ensure order. Military begins early clean up, AOC steps up and begins clean up too.
• Resignations and investigations in the AOC, government goes on a hunt for responsilibility as it faces criticism for the spill.
• Funding for cleanup.

Clean-up

• AOC Clean-Up crews;
• Volunteers;
• Military, Department of Energy, Health, other government orgs part of cleanup;
• Govt funds cleanup adequately, regional government of Alduria also contributes with own clean up funds;
• Clean-up to last years, started in late 1693 AN, expected to end in 1696 AN or 1697 AN.

Aftermath

• Environmental damage;
• Economic damage to fishing, tourism, etc;
• Public concern for enviroment increases;
• Health consequences.

See also

• Aldurian Oil Company.