From Bahrain, delivering oil spill response for the Middle East

October 7, 2025

Rhys Jenkins, Middle East regional manager at OSRL, talks to The Energy Year about the company’s expanding Bahrain base and deployment of technologies such as dispersants, drones and unmanned vehicles in oil spill response. OSRL is a global, industry-funded co-operative providing oil spill response, training, equipment and consultancy services to energy players.

What is OSRL’s role in the Middle East and how did your presence begin here?
We established our Middle East base in 2006, directly at the request of our members. OSRL is an industry-funded cooperative. That means we reinvest everything into our capability. Our shareholders don’t receive dividends; instead, they influence the direction of the company. Several of our major shareholder members requested a presence in the Middle East, and we listened.
Our model operates across three tiers of oil spill response. Tier one uses resources at the site itself, tier two relies on resources within the country and tier three – which we provide – is for large-scale events when the first two have been exhausted. Our response capabilities enable a tiered response, integrating local Tier 1/Tier 2 resources with OSRL’s Tier 3 capabilities. We mobilise when an incident is too complex or large-scale for local resources alone, providing the specialist support needed to manage high consequence events Bahrain is the only base we’ve established specifically for member demand. Other bases, such as Southampton, Singapore and Fort Lauderdale, resulted from mergers. Bahrain completes a strategic global footprint.

What capabilities do you provide to members?
Capability, which is central to everything we do, includes three pillars: people, equipment and additional support. Our responders, typically environmental scientists and mechanical engineers, go through extensive training and follow a career path from responder to specialist to senior. Most stay for the long term.
Our equipment can be deployed on land, sea, semi-submerged or sunken environments. We use skimmers, pumps, storage tanks and booms to recover and transport oil. While we don’t manage final disposal, we prepare it for handover. The third pillar, additional support, includes contingency planning, training, mapping and remote support tools. Everything is designed to help members prevent, prepare for and respond to oil spills effectively.

How does technology play into oil spill response today?
Most of the technology we use originates in other industries. Drones, for instance, weren’t created for us, but they’ve proven essential. We use them for aerial surveys, monitoring and situational awareness. We’re also exploring unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles.
There’s also emerging technology specific to oil spills, such as chemical herders that coalesce oil slicks. They reduce the need for deploying booms and can be paired with dispersant spraying or in-situ burning. These developments feed into our response strategies, which determine what equipment to use, where and how, based on a thorough situation assessment. Our responders are trained not just in equipment but also in incident management. Whether supporting incident teams or training subcontractors, we tailor our support to the member’s needs.

When an oil spill occurs, how soon does OSRL get involved?
It varies. If there’s an obvious large-scale failure – such as a subsea blowout – we may be contacted immediately. In other cases, such as a suspected pipeline leak, it may take time before tier three is deemed necessary. We always urge members to contact us early. Early engagement leads to faster deployment and more effective results. A quick response shortens the duration of the incident.
Alongside equipment and people, the plans and relationships a company has in place form their additional support structure. Oil spill response often unfolds in unknown environments, so good information and early action are vital.

 

Why was Bahrain selected as OSRL’s Middle East base?
The base was created at the insistence of key members such as Aramco, Bapco, Qatar Energy, ADNOC, KOC and PDO. Since then, membership in the region has grown to include the likes of Qatar’s North Oil Company, Bahrain’s Supreme Council for the Environment and the UAE’s ENOC.
Production across the region is increasing, and the Middle East is critical for global energy security. Given the amount of oil flowing through chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, the risk is high. Our funding structure reflects that: members with greater risk contribute more. It’s a fair system: a small operator shouldn’t pay the same as a major such as Aramco.

Do political risks factor into your operations?
Our approach is technical, not political. If a member is located in a high-risk area, we assess the feasibility of response. Safety is paramount. We won’t send responders into warzones or active fire situations. If we can’t safely respond physically, we aim to provide remote support. But we always discuss feasibility openly with prospective members.

What about wildlife response?
Oiled wildlife response has become increasingly important. Our core membership coverage includes technical advice from our partners at Sea Alarm, a four-person in-field response assessment team through the Global Oiled Wildlife Response System (GOWRS) – and response equipment specifically designed for wildlife response. GOWRS connects us with 40 NGOs, charities and universities worldwide who are experts in different species and habitats.
Now, if you’re a member, you get access to four experts tailored to your wildlife risk profile. Whether it’s marine mammals, seabirds, or coastal species, our response is now much more comprehensive than just bird cleaning.

Can you explain the role of dispersants in spill response?
Dispersants break oil into smaller droplets, dispersing them into the water column where bacteria can biodegrade them. This technique keeps oil off the sea surface, reduces shoreline impact and limits harm to wildlife. It’s a primary response technique, but it must be used responsibly. We perform net environmental benefit analyses to assess when and how to use dispersants effectively and safely.
They’re particularly valuable because shoreline clean-up is far more complex and waste-generating than offshore clean-up. At sea, we can respond quickly and effectively, minimising overall impact. There are differences in how we handle spills depending on location. Offshore spills involve dynamic elements such as wind and currents, while inland spills are influenced by terrain permeability. Inland may be less complex but still challenging. The root causes – human or equipment failure – are the same. Both require careful, strategic response.

What are OSRL’s goals and long-term plans for its Bahrain hub?
When we started in 2006, OSRL had just two or three people and a small equipment package. We then moved to Sitra, where we grew to six responders, about 100 tonnes of equipment and 30 tonnes of dispersant. In 2020, we relocated to our current 2,500-square-metre facility in the Bahrain Logistics Zone. This move allowed us to more than double our footprint, both in personnel and in equipment capacity.
We now have 12 responders, have diversified team roles to include consultancy and training, and manage nearly 200 tonnes of equipment alongside 175 tonnes of dispersant.
This facility supports full preparedness and response services. We have a training suite onsite for in-house courses, and our responders can also deliver training at member locations. Looking ahead, we plan to remain here. Any future team expansion will depend on global strategic decisions, but our capex programme ensures continuous equipment renewal and the integration of newer, more advanced technologies. Our aim is to maintain a technically current and regionally robust stockpile that aligns with evolving industry needs.

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