On Wednesday, September 25 around 20 NSW Maritime staff from Sydney, the South Coast and down to the Murray River were at the Greenwell Point boat ramp for the training.

The first day of the course, on Tuesday, was at NSW Maritime's Nowra office and was followed by a practical exercise on Wednesday to put their theory into practice. During the exercise they used two types of oil spill containment booms, skimmers and storage tanks.

The containment booms are used to redirect, block or contain a spill while the skimmer is used to separate oil or chemicals from the water.

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NSW Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings said NSW Maritime staff honed their specialist skills during an on-water fictional exercise, which included the use and deployment of specialist equipment.

"The course will focus on NSW Maritime's responsibilities as a combat agency," Mr Hutchings said.

"The training will provide the opportunity for experts to rehearse what could happen in real life and respond quickly in the event of a marine pollution incident in NSW waters.

"Spills involving marine oil and chemicals can occur at any time along the NSW coast and in ports or estuaries, and it's important for staff to have the confidence to know what to do and which equipment to deploy without hesitation.

For pollution which appears to be coming from marine oil and chemical spills, contact should be made with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on 131 555.

For more information, visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au/maritime.