The first virtual edition of the RETOS course, a tool developed by ARPEL to assess oil spill management capacity, was held in early September.

The training was co-organized with the Argentine Oil and Gas Institute (IAPG) and was attended by representatives from Copec, Corena, Ocensa, PAMPetrol, Pan American Energy, Pluspetrol, Recope, Tecpetrol, Terramar Inspection & Trading, TGN, YPF, the National Engineering University of Peru; professionals from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru.

RETOS has the purpose of helping governments and companies assess their level of oil spill response planning and preparedness management in relation to agreed predefined criteria in accordance with the international best management practices.

The course seeks that participants can learn about and apply the tools designed by the team of experts led by ARPEL and identify any deficiencies, information needs and ways to improve in search of excellence.

The training was delivered by Darío Miranda, a marine biologist graduated from the University of Bogotá, an Ecopetrol professional for 22 years, and current consultant and trainer in several countries in the areas of Contingency Planning, Incident Command System, Spill Control, and Environmental Impact Assessment.

Additionally, by midmonth Miranda delivered a virtual in-company course for Recope, a partner company. The course was attended by 13 professionals.

Another major event took place in September, the RETOS course started to be delivered in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean countries.

The RETOS Manual and tool are freely available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese at the following link: https://arpel.org/library/publication/341/