Along with the Irish Coastguard, Cork County Council assists in the clean-up of oil spills along the coast, when called upon. Unfortunately, there have been a number of spills on the Cork coastline in the past. The more significant oil spillages at sea have been associated with the Betelgeuse in Bantry Bay and the Kowloon Bridge on the Stags Rocks. A recent event which fortunately proved not to be very serious was the grounding of the SEEBRIZE on the rocks near Charlesfort in October 2004.

The Council's role in dealing with oil spillages at sea is to assist the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre. The Council does not part take directly in dealing with marine oil spillages. Once the material arrives on land, it is, however, the County Council's responsibility to carry out the necessary clean up of the area.

Cork County Council ensures that it is kept up to date on procedures by having staff trained in the different aspects of oil spill cleanup by the Irish Coastguard and the International Maritime Organisation.