There has never been a major oil spill off the Wanganui coast but Horizons Regional Council is prepared for one, risk management co-ordinator Evan Lloyd says.
He was one of a group of 20 that practises for such an emergency every six months, somewhere on one of the region's coasts.
People involved in Monday's practice at Wanganui's Wharf St were from Maritime New Zealand, Wanganui District Council and rural fire crews.
The equipment needed for coping with a spill is stored at Kairanga in Palmerston North. It can be on-site within hours, Mr Lloyd said.
At Wharf St on Monday the emergency workers were using floating booms to corral an imaginary oil spill from an boat tied up at the port. Once confined the oil and water of the spill would be skimmed off and pumped into either a truck or a container. Horizons has responsibility for managing any oil spill from north of Wanganui to the Ohau River and 12 nautical miles (22km) out to sea. Further out Maritime New Zealand would be the lead organisation.
