Optimization in oil slick combating stations allocation. Application to the Sea of Azov

A method is presented and preliminarily applied to the optimization of the allocation of oil-slick combating coastal stations in a coastal basin. The decision support methodology is based on the annual simulation of the circulation in the basin according to climatologic data, on the oil spill simulation by the method of Lagrangian particles, on the analysis of the quantified stochastic environmental effects from a number of probable oil spill sources distributed over the basin and on the selection of the optimal coastal oil spill stations. The selection is based on a proposed metric for the operational effectiveness of each station. Using available data, a preliminary application is presented for the Azov Sea, where a number of coastal sites, protected by Ramsar convention, exist and an intensive maritime traffic is planned for the near future.