Maritime New Zealand has also worked with the oil and gas industry and the Ministry for the Environment to develop the Environmental Best Practice Guidelines for the Offshore Petroleum Industry. These guidelines are voluntary principles to assist the industry to identify, assess and manage all environmental impacts associated with their activities.
To reduce the risk of an accident that could lead to a spill exclusion zones are declared around all offshore installations. Also the area around Taranaki, where much of New Zealand’s oil and gas exploration and production takes place, has been officially declared a precautionary area for shipping.
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