Stolthaven Terminals’ facility in Moerdijk, the Netherlands hosted a joint safety exercise recently with key emergency services and stakeholders, including the regional environment agency, fire brigade, medical emergency services, municipal and military police, port authorities and local council.

The aim of the collaborative exercise was to ensure all stakeholders are aware of the safety and emergency procedures for an incident and to practise working together to manage the situation as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Stolthaven Moerdijk volunteered to provide the training location and helped to develop the six training scenarios, which took place over three days and ranged in seriousness from minor incidents to those involving fatalities.

Response teams from each organisation worked together to handle the scenarios via clear and timely communication, appropriate physical intervention and strict adherence to safety protocols. The training was streamed live so employees could follow it to gain a better understanding of the process for dealing with an incident.

Robert Wijnen, General Manager of Stolthaven Moerdijk, said: “Everybody learned a lot from these sessions. Most incidents involve many stakeholders, which can make it difficult to get a clear and consistent view of the situation.

“This was an invaluable exercise in highlighting to all of us that good communication and collaboration are critical. It was also great to see that we are all well prepared for emergency situations, and the sessions further strengthened our relationships and trust in each other.”