NCEC - 24/7 Emergency Response for ports around the globe

Harbour at night

Who we are

Since 1973, NCEC's core business has been to provide specialist advice and chemical hazard and response software products to those dealing with incidents involving hazardous products, whether in transit or in use. We are recognised as the world leaders in this field.

NCEC has been operating the UK's national 24-hour chemical emergency response centre since 1973. This makes it one of the most experienced teams in the world in understanding the requirements of both the chemical industry and the emergency services. NCEC is staffed by a team of Emergency Responders who are all qualified chemists and who have received extensive training in chemical health and safety, emergency response and communication skills. As well as the Emergency Responders, NCEC is supported by a team of experienced data administrators and IT specialists who are responsible for ensuring that NCEC's databases are fully up-to-date.

Our services for ports

We recognise that ports have specific needs: whilst you will already have a known oil spill responder, are you confident that all your needs for chemical incidents are met? NCEC can provide you with our chemical hazard database, Chemdata®, to meet your chemical hazard identification needs, and we can further support that with access to our trained Emergency Responders and to our modelling tools for maritime incidents as well as a tailored training package for your staff. We know that individual ports have different needs depending on the volumes and types of dangerous goods transiting the port, and we will work with you to determine the most suitable overall service package for you.

Whilst some ports find that Chemdata® fully meets their needs, we can supplement Chemdata® with access to our team of Emergency Responders. This can be a basic service that will provide you with additional information to that supplied by Chemdata®, such as reactions between specific substances, or our more comprehensive Carechem Marine service.

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Chemdata®

Chemdata® is the National Chemical Emergency Centre's long established and well respected chemical hazard database, which is the first choice source of information for many emergency responders. The advantage of Chemdata® is that it has been designed by our own Emergency Responders using everyday language rather than the technical language often found in Safety Data Sheets, making it easier to understand and use in the heat of an incident. Currently the database contains extensive information on more than 42,500 substances, with over 134,000 synonyms and trade names in a number of languages. Chemdata® runs on PCs and laptops and is also available for mobile devices such as PDAs and smartphones as Pocket Chemdata®.

We licence Chemdata® and Pocket Chemdata® on an annual subscription basis. Each year we provide two updates to ensure that you always have access to up to date information; these updates may also include upgrades to the software, which we continually develop based on feedback from our customers. Your subscription also gives you free access to our IT helpdesk during normal office hours should you have any problems with the software.

We offer a 14 day free trial for Chemdata® and/or Pocket Chemdata® - please let us know if you would like one.

Emergency Response

NCEC offers a number of different emergency response packages, ranging from simple access to our emergency responders for advice on chemical incidents via CERS (Chemical Emergency Response Service) to services such as Carechem Marine.

CERS is an emergency response service open to companies who may have to respond to a chemical emergency without sufficient substance information, expertise or resources to handle it effectively. The service provides access to our team of highly qualified Emergency Responders, who can help you rapidly identify the hazards and risks associated with chemical substances to minimise the impact of an incident, as well as offer practical advice on dealing with spillages, fires etc, identify companies able to provide practical assistance and identify manufacturers and other sources of specialist advice. The service is provided via our dedicated CERS telephone line.

Carechem Marine is an emergency response service designed to allow a quick and efficient response to incidents during maritime chemical transport, providing access to rapid, accurate and reliable advice based on cutting edge modelling techniques. The service allows 24/7/365 access to our team of highly qualified Emergency Responders who use our extensive chemical response databases and our modelling tool ChemSIS to provide detailed and comprehensive advice. NCEC's resources and expertise can help to mitigate the impact of incidents on people, property and the environment and protect the reputation of our customers.

The advice provided as part of Carechem Marine will provide you with the necessary information to handle accidental releases of chemical during maritime transport. Marine incidents can involve very large volumes of chemicals - possibly thousands of tonnes - and can potentially have very severe consequences for populations and the environment. They also tend to attract media attention.

Carechem Marine will allow your staff to obtain information on the trajectory and environmental fate of released chemicals. This information in conjunction with our expert advice will allow your staff to determine response options. The service is provided in English via our dedicated Carechem Marine telephone line.

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Training

NCEC offers a number of training courses, including Chemical Spill Response, which we believe is particularly relevant for ports. Our courses can be held at your premises and tailored to your precise needs - our training manager is always willing to discuss any specific requirements. Other courses include Chemical Hazard Awareness and Hazmat 1st Response, both of which can be held in house or attended at one of our UK venues.

Chemical Spill Response is a course designed to provide you and your staff with sufficient knowledge of the theory of spill response, to enable you to plan for and respond to incidents in your own organisation. We will provide you with the ability to recognise hazards and understand the information that accompanies chemicals, as well as a comprehensive view on the properties of chemical substances and how they might behave when spilled. This enables you to fully assess the risks and ensure that your team follow a safe way of working.

The style of presentation means we can adapt the content to incorporate your organisation's own spill procedures.

The core presentation comprises:

Hazard Identification - the ability to recognise information that you have, e.g. placards, labels or Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and how to interpret this data
Properties and Behaviour - how chemicals may behave in different circumstances when released from their containers
Chemical Effects and First Aid - how you can be exposed to substances, the effects they may have on you and some simple steps to take if you come into contact with them
Assessing the Situation - how far an incident may have progressed and whether or not there is any immediate danger to life or health
The Theory of Response - planning the response from start to finish with response options and incident site management arrangements, with information about PPE and practical tips, including the decontamination and debriefing before leaving the scene
Practical Response - we will work with you to consider the type of spill scenario you wish to cover, then provide a guided practical session for teams to 'have a go' in a realistic, yet safe environment.