During October and November, various training courses on ARPEL Oil Spill Response Planning and Readiness Assessment Manual and the tool RETOS® (Readiness Evaluation/Excel Tool for Oil Spills) were held in Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico and Cuba.

The courses were promoted by REMPEITC-Caribe (Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Information and Training Center for the Wider Caribbean), with the support of ARPEL and a staff of subject matter expert consultants, and designed only for government authorities in each country.

The purpose of the different meetings was to provide training on oil spill preparedness and contingency planning, as well as to develop a practical knowledge of the use and benefits of ARPEL Manual and the tool RETOS® in the analysis and identification of gaps in national programs of preparedness and response to oil spills.

The courses also sought to offer participants the general aspects of a Global Improvement Plan, which could be used directly to implement advances in the national system of oil spill preparedness and response.

RETOS® (Readiness Evaluation/Excel Tool for Oil Spills) constitutes a unique assessment tool that provides guidance for operators in the oil and gas sector and in governments, which has become an international reference in the subject and is currently used by companies and governments worldwide.

RETOS® is available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and can be downloaded free of charge by clicking here.