DCPM-AMN (Direção de Combate à Poluição do Mar, Portuguese National Maritime Authority)
The objectives of this exercise were: to train emergency response procedures in the event of a pollution incident or accident at the 2nd degree of readiness of the PML (regional level), to train the operation of decision support tools to support operations to combat sea pollution, to prepare AMN resources to combat pollution of the marine environment in the open sea (offshore), in the port and in riverside areas, in cooperation with other organizations and authorities that make up the Maritime Authority System (SAM) in the northern region, to train the Brigade for Rapid Intervention to Combat Pollution of the Sea (BIRPOL) of the Northern Maritime Department (DMN) and its integration with the team of the Directorate for Combating Pollution of the Sea (DCPM) and with local and regional entities, namely with the Administration of the Ports of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo, SA, the Municipality of Viana do Castelo (CMVC) and the regional and local agents of Civil Protection, to develop recovery and rehabilitation actions for marine animals after exposure to products derived from pollution accidents, in conjunction with the Marine Animal Recovery Center (CRAM ECOMARE), to train the procedures for responding to incidents with the release of hazardous substances on the coast, involving the resources of the AMN and the Companhia de Firefighters Sapadores de Viana do Castelo, to consolidate the integration of the AMN's means of combating pollution with the Navy, the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) and other national means used to combat pollution and, at an international level, with the means of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), to develop partnerships with local and regional institutions, universities, research centers, non-governmental organizations for environmental protection and towing companies, to promote the public visibility of the AMN on the existing capabilities of the Directorate-General of the Maritime Authority (DGAM), which are at the service of the country for the effective fight against sea pollution.